


Communicationally Challenged

by TeamAlphaQ



Series: Semantically Challenged [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Cow Shit, Damien is kind of rapey at times, Drama, Emotional Constipation, Episode: s19e06 Tweek x Craig, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'll stab someone, Keep Calm and Stay Tramatized, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Tweek's parents are insane, We've already seen aliens nothing is outside the realm of possibility, Works as a stand-alone story, fifth grade, if one more person makes a comment about their eyes, long as fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-05-04 23:56:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 115,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14604576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamAlphaQ/pseuds/TeamAlphaQ
Summary: Fourth Grade for Tweek and Craig passed in a flash, and through it all they learned that having each other was better than facing the world alone. But now they're going into Fifth Grade, and despite the new principal, they're determined to make this a better year than the last.Except South Park is as South Park does, and between struggling with the feelings they don't understand and fighting against the crazy that's being thrown at them, it'll be a miracle if both of them make it out of this alive.But at least they'll always have each other, right?You know how it is my dudes, you're in for a long and bumpy ass ride.





	1. Worse Than Hell

**Author's Note:**

> _There's going to be a break between this one and the next_... 
> 
> Ah yes, my usual web of lies. Hello Darlings, it is I, Que, here to bring you, yes, the second installment of the Semantically Challenged chronicles! *bows dramatically* Despite the fact that I'm still plugging away at the edits to the first book in this series, I couldn't help myself from starting the second. I hope you don't find yourselves too upset hehe~
> 
> The reason you're getting this so early is because of [Sin the Failure](https://sinnifer-king-of-art-hell.tumblr.com/), the most beautiful boi this universe has ever seen and his gorgeous ass piece of art of [Damien Thorn](https://sinnifer-king-of-art-hell.tumblr.com/image/173762592722). The colors and the expression and just everything about this piece is beautiful.
> 
> This chapter was for Trevor, darling, you used to bring this character to life.
> 
> To every single one of you beautiful humans, 
> 
> Enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Damien_

Hell, as one might imagine, was quite nice in the summer.

Damien, who’d lived his entire life in the place, enjoyed it as much as one could. Which is to say, he didn’t enjoy it at all and for him that was completely normal, acceptable, and even prefered. The idea of enjoying something just hadn’t occurred to him yet.

That being said, for a denizen of Hell, he had all the creature comforts. A lovely bedroom with natural, hellfire lighting, a lava pool, obsidian flooring, and of course, a wonderful gazebo that overlooked the seventh circle of hell. It didn’t get much better than that. Damien could wake up every morning and head to the small class run by some of the older, more sedate demons, to learn about the inner workings of his home, and then fall asleep every night to the sounds of the screams of the damned. He never  _ liked _ it, but at the same time, it was all he’d ever known.

At ten years old, roughly, Damien had everything he could possibly ever need.

Unfortunately, perhaps, not everyone agreed with this sentiment.

There was an ungodly crash and a string of furious Arabic. “You can not keep him here like this, you are hurting him Satan, you are turning him into a hermit I won’t allow it!!” Saddam spat, crossing his arms and glaring at the king of Hell menacingly. Satan, for his part, was wringing his meaty red hands and shifting from hoof to hoof.

“But he’s only  _ ten _ Saddam,” Satan persisted, giving him a pleading look. “He’s my only son, I can’t just toss him into the outside world like that, it’s so horrible out there.” 

Oh yeah, if you weren’t already aware, Damein was the son of the Devil. From his short black hair to his fire-filled eyes to the flames he could make flicker on the tips of his fingers, he was every part a young Satan. For his entire life he’d been groomed to eventually rule beside his father, presiding over the levels of hell. Every order he followed and every rule that he learned was preparing him for his future.

It wasn’t that Damien  _ wanted _ to help govern the lake of fire and it’s surrounding principalities, but when you were born into it there really wasn’t much you could do. And he didn’t exactly have anything else to go off of to judge whether this career was what he wanted. He was his father’s son, and that meant that Hell was his kingdom. In his life, there hadn’t been opportunities to go to many career days where he could consider something a little less fire and brimstone like baking or possibly accounting.

That being said, for all his training, Satan doted on his son, trying to give him the best life possible. While he’d never had any trouble, Damien at least partially knew that was because his father carefully kept a carpet under his feet and at least two lesser demons nearby at all times to tend to his every need. What Saddam was talking about, leaving hell, that was definitely something entirely new. And thus, like the gentle, mild-mannered fallen angel that he was, Satan wasn’t too keen on the idea. If you looked at him, you could see a genuine concern in the devil’s eyes, but Saddam, as always, ignored it entirely.

“Don’t give me that Satan, he should have been tossed out there years ago! You are cloistering him and you know how that’s going to end? Badly. Horribly in fact! That is a world that he needs to understand. Just because his useless  _ father _ can’t make heads or tails of it doesn’t mean that he should be the same.” The former Iraqui leader crossed his arms and cocked his hips to the side. “This will not continue.”

“You wouldn’t throw Damien out, Saddam, he’s not  _ ready,” _ Satan protested, through his words were weak.

“Of course he’s ready you fool!”

From outside the door, Damien stood silently, watching his father and his father’s partner argue. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen them fight and he doubted it would be the last. It was always the same issue: Damien’s eventual introduction to the Mortal realms. Until Saddam brought it up, it hadn’t even been a thought in the young devil’s mind. What would he even do up there? There weren’t any souls to torture, there wasn’t any paperwork that he was supposed to study or any casualty counts that he needed to memorize. Up there, what would he even  _ do _ with his time?

“Please, Saddam, don’t do this to me,” Satan said, clasping his hands in front of him before being forced to dodge a flying skull bowl that his lover had thrown at him. “I can’t send him. Remember what happened to his mother, I can’t-”

“His mother doesn’t count,” Saddam scoffed. “Don’t tell me you still think about that bitch, she is nothing.” Spitting on the ground to prove his point, the man snapped, “I will not let you stifle him Satan, he’s going to be better than you.”

“But I-” Stepping back away from the open door, Damien rustled his black robes and strode away, his frown as deep as ever. To be perfectly honest, any opinion he might have had on the subject was severely hampered by the fact that he’d never been asked to make a decision on  _ anything _ before. It wasn’t in his nature to want anything but the express will of his father, which according to all the history books was world domination, and plunging everything into eternal chaos. Admittedly, his history professor, a Demon by the name of Azazel, had always had a flair for the dramatic.

If he were going to have thoughts on the subject however, he would probably say that staying down here sounded fine. He had everything, he was as comfortable as one could be in hell, and at least here he didn’t have to deal with humans. Oh sure the souls he saw every day could be considered humans, but some of them were pretty irritating, and most of them were dull. Why then would they force him to go to the overworld?

Walking down one long, stone hallway, Damien ran his fingers over the cross hanging around his neck as he pondered his predicament. Eventually, Saddam would win, Satan had trouble saying no to the man, but until then, Damien’s relative position was up in the air. As he headed towards the front doors of hell, where a long line of damned souls that hadn’t yet been admitted stood waiting, Damien decided to let the matter go entirely. When he was told to go, he would. Until then, he would continue on as if nothing was changing.

As he passed by the front desk, where a harried Succubus by the name of Nancy frantically attempted to search for something on her computer, Damien called in his typically dark voice, “Greetings.”

Looking up, Nancy let out a sound before exclaiming, “Lord Damien! How are you today?”

“Damned,” Damien answered, his expression unchaninging. Wandering around towards the staff entrance, Damien reached up and opened the door before walking into the crowded office. Pulling up a stool, the boy climbed up and watched as Nancy continued trying to file through the ever expanding list of new arrivals. This was one of the few places he actually had any sort of positive emotion towards. Watching the ever marching procession of fresh souls was calming and monotonous, and Nancy was pretty alright.

Watching as the Succubus struggled to make Vista respond to her, the young demon asked, “Trouble?”

Growling, even though it came out sounding more like a sexual groan, the harried receptionist muttered, “There was a  _ huge _ influx of souls all from one place and I can’t keep up with it. It’s been months and I’m still dealing with the fall out. They’re always dumping huge numbers of people here, and it’s so- so rude!”

“Where is it?” Damien asked out of habit. Usually, he was required to keep up with where the greatest influxes of souls came from so that he could help keep the books straight, but he couldn’t think of any huge wars currently going on. Frown deepening, the boy reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the seeing stone one of the three Fates had given him for his ninth birthday.

“South Park Colorado of all places,” Nancy muttered, her mouse clicking furiously before she gave another grunt of frustration. “You wouldn’t think that one little dinky town out in the middle of nowhere would be able to generate that many problems, but it would surprise you, honestly.”

Staring into the flat, swirling opal, Damien glared at it, willing it to show him South Park. As usual, the first thing the stone did was show him that same, animated, smiling face that appeared every time he looked into its polished surface, but after a few seconds of glaring at the unknown boy’s cheery grin, the thing cleared. A moment later, he was witnessing zombies shambling around, and a rather unremarkable town being set on fire. “Ah,” he said at last, mildly puzzled.

“Oh yes, just  _ brush off _ the single biggest problem I have to deal with on a daily basis, thank you Lord Damien.” That was one of the reasons the boy liked the succubus. Even though it was always ‘Lord Damien’ this and ‘Lord Damien’ that, Nancy spoke to him plainly. It was a luxury he wasn’t accustomed to. “I’ll have you know, that last week, these four kids- Oh no, not you again.”

“What, didn’t you miss me?” At that mischievous voice that came from somewhere beneath the desk, Damien’s furrowed brows deepened in confusion. Slipping his stone back into his pocket, the devil’s son stared at Nancy’s exasperated expression before leaning forward so he could see who she was talking to.

“This is the second time this week, what on  _ earth _ are you doing?” Nancy griped, already pulling out actual paper documents in irritation.

“Hey, it’s not my fault the train went off the tracks.” The boy that Damien was looking down at was tall for his apparent age, with sandy blond hair, freckles and eyes as blue as the sky. His easy, if crooked grin, was turned towards Nancy, who was furiously scribbling away at the pages she’d shifted her keyboard to fill out. “Sometimes, these things just  _ happen.” _

“Oh shut up they  _ always _ happen around you that isn’t a coincidence!” As Nancy complained, the young boy’s eyes shifted towards Damien and his mouth spread into a pleased smirk. Taken aback by the reaction to his presence, the demon ruffled his proverbial feather and tipped his chin upwards. While he stared down at the sandy-blond, a piece of what Nancy had said registered and Damien’s mind started turning.  _ Again… What does she mean  _ again, _ you only ever see someone once up here. _

Expression shifting into something a little milder, the boy drawled, “Well, I’d ask if this was your kid Nancy, but I gotta admit the family resemblance just isn’t there.” Ignoring Damien’s affronted look, the sandy-blond asked, “So what, is it bring a demon to work day? Why does no one tell me these things?”

“Oh, no,” Nancy exclaimed at once, waving her hands rapidly. “I can’t believe you’d just ask something like that. Damien isn’t just any demon, he’s  _ Lord _ Damien, the son of Satan himself. So you had better treat him with respect otherwise it’ll be my head on a plate.”

If Damien had expected the boy to grovel or bow at the name drop, he was sorely disappointed. Whistling, the sandy-blond tipped his head back and muttered, “Wow, son of Big Red himself. I didn’t know he had time to go prancing around making babies but hey, I don’t judge.” Grinning, the boy added, “Though I gotta ask, what’s up with ol’ Luci not bringing me into the loop on this? You’d think he’d mention that he’s got a son.”

“He probably doesn’t want  _ you _ to be a bad influence on Lord Damien,” Nancy quipped, moving her mouth silently as she filled out paperwork.

“A bad influence, on Satan’s kid?” the blond gasped, pressing a hand to his heart. “I’m hurt.”

“Oh shut up.”

Face melting once more into a smirk, the boy shook his head and laughed. “Well, I guess you got me there. It’s never too early to lose your mental v-card, I’d say.” Winking at Damien, the sandy-blond purred, “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle~”

Fed up with this conversation and quickly losing patience in general, Damien sharply demanded, “Who are you?”

Before Nancy could answer for him, the boy took a step back and bowed theatrically. “Kenny McCormick at your service, I am just  _ all the rage _ down here and, incidentally, up there despite being neither holy nor Mormon.” The flash of Kenny’s teeth was as bright as the flare of curiosity in his eyes. “It’s just  _ wonderful _ to meet you.”

“There paperwork done!” Nancy suddenly announced, slipping the documents into a slot in the wall. “You can leave now.”

“Aww, so soon?” Kenny complained, pulling a mocking pout. “No can do Nance, you know how this works, I only leave when they let me go. Feel free to keep me around as long as you want though.” There was something so foreign about the boy’s good mood, Damien found himself studying him intently as if that might reveal some secret.

“Go?” Damien questioned in his usual blunt manner. “Go where?”

“Back up there and thankfully out of here,” Nancy muttered. “Lord Damien, I can’t handle him anymore. I have work to do. Would you mind getting your father to send him away or something?” Not about to let this curious phenomenon simply walk out when doing so would apparently send him back to earth, Damien hopped off his stool almost instantly.

“That will not be necessary, I’ll watch over McCormick from here,” Damien said decisively, before stepping out of the office and meeting the boy in front of the front desk. Kenny, unlike the rows of the dead stretched out behind him, wasn’t wearing the sackcloth that was automatically issued them. Instead he was dressed in a bright orange parka and ripped jeans that made him look less like a dead kid and more like a mortal soul from above.

“Watch over me?” Kenny crooned, leaning back. He was slightly taller than Damien, which was oddly unsettling for the demon child. “Do you think I don’t know my way around already?” There was no way that the sandy-blond was older than he was, but by the way he carried himself, Damien could see the worn soul within the boy.  _ This one is different, _ he realized, as a strange rush of very foreign thoughts and  _ questions _ flooded his mind.  _ This Kenny McCormick is special. _

“No, but I wish to speak to you.” Walking away towards one of the side doors of the room, Damien threw a glare over his shoulder when he noticed that Kenny still hadn’t moved. “At once,” he repeated, the fire in his eyes crackling. Instead of being fearful or perhaps listening, Kenny just leaned his head back and smirked.

“Man, you are  _ strange,” _ Kenny mused, blue eyes full of unknown calculations that Damien was having trouble reading. “Acting like you own the place- Well, I guess you do.” Spreading his hands, the sandy-blond dipped his head and said, “I was actually hoping to catch up with your daddy dearest, but it seems I’ve been summoned elsewhere.”

“Kenny McCormick, do not try my patience,” Damien told the boy testily. He wasn’t sure why, but the absolute fearlessness intrigued him, and he was more fascinated than upset.  _ Why do you act like you’ve been here before? Why do you talk about Heaven like you’ve visited. Who are you Kenny McCormick? _

Shrugging, the boy loped after Satan’s son with the words, “Well, I don’t have anything better to do so why not. You seem fun, Damien.” No  _ Lord, _ just Damien.

“I am not fun,” Damien assured the boy, which only earned him a chuckle.

“Oh but you’re wrong,” Kenny insisted, leaning down slightly so he could look up at Damien. “I am having just the time of my life right now.” A laugh later, he straightened and said, “Lead the way, your Hellishness.”

The moment they were outside of the main room, Damien asked, “Nancy said again, how have you been here before?”

Kenny whistled. “Blunt, aren’t you?” Grinning from ear to ear, the boy sing-songed, “That’s me, the boy who can never die, or at least, never stay dead.” Winking, he ambled ahead of Damien, leaving the slightly shorter boy to catch up with him, huffing in annoyance as he did. As if this revelation meant nothing, Kenny commented, “I’m still surprised you and I haven’t met before, you’d think that as the son of Satan, you’d get a little better publicity.”

“I do not trouble myself with the affairs of the damned,” Damien said stiffly. As if this was somehow amusing, Kenny let out another laugh. “What?” he demanded, his tone harsh.

“Nothing, just- So formal, do you ever lighten up?” Amiably, the boy insisted, “Back where I’m from, no one would know what to do with someone as tense as you.”

“Where are you from,” Damien asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. If there had been a track to begin with. Currently, he was finding himself entirely baffled by this person who was named Kenny. Not only was he an immortal, a creature that his father nor any of his teachers had elected to tell him even existed, but Kenny continued to speak and act in a way that was wholly foreign to him. Was it any wonder that the sandy-blond had him confused?

“Me??” Kenny asked incredulously, as if the thought of Damien wanting to know so basic was unbelievable. “I can’t imagine why  _ you _ of all people would care~” When the demon’s expression didn’t change, the boy relented. “South Park Colorado. More of a hell than Hell will  _ ever _ be.”

_ South Park. _ The very same place that Nancy had complained about so vociferously. Interest piqued, Damien’s frown deepened and he questioned, “Why do so many people die in South Park?”

“So you’ve heard of us, eh?” Kenny grinned and tilted his head back so he could hum. “We’ve got a lot of crazy in one place, it tends to make everything go a little haywire. Still, it’s a decent place, you know, if you don’t like traffic and don’t mind almost dying every other week. Though-” He turned. “I couldn’t even begin to guess where in the world  _ you _ would want to stay.”

“I’ve never been to earth,” Damien admitted, seeing no reason to hide something so fundamental and underwhelming from the curious child. On the other hand, Kenny seemed to find the information startling.

“Damien whatever-your-last-name-is, I do declare!” Kenny announced at a mockingly raised volume. “How can you go this long without ever being to earth? What are they teaching you down here dude, you need to live a little! Get out and see the world.”

“I see no reason to,” Damien argued, confused as to why Kenny would care about what he did or didn’t do. But Kenny just wagged his finger.

“No no, you’re looking at this all wrong Mr. Hellspawn, you’re wasting your life!” Grinning from ear to ear, Kenny said, “Come on, think about it. If you never go to earth, you’re never going to learn what  _ people _ look like.”

“I have my ways,” Damien said, attempting to stare down his nose at the taller boy. Kenny just kept shaking his head like that wasn’t good enough.

“Damien, how old are you?”

“By the mortal calendar, I am ten years of a-”

“Yeah yeah, ten, got it,” the sandy-blond acknowledged, cutting him off. “You’re telling me that you’re ten, and you’ve never met a living human in person?” When Damien didn’t answer, Kenny started firing off more questions. “Ever talked to someone your own age? What about going to public school, ever done that? How about eating in a cafeteria?” Slapping his forehead as if the idea had just occurred to him, the blond exclaimed, “You’ve never even have ice cream, have you!? I mean, I haven’t gotten to eat it much myself but that’s just child cruelty right there.”

“I have no desire to see or do any of these things,” Damien informed Kenny flatly, pulling out his seeing stone. “I can observe the mortal world through this.” Even as Kenny curiously leaned forward so he could see, Damien watched as the curly haired blond boy appeared once more, with his red coat and brown bow right under his chin. Softly, Kenny hummed.

“What if I told you that if you came up to the surface, you could meet that boy right there,” Kenny suggested, his words oddly gentle.

“I wouldn't care one way or another,” Damien found himself lying. He hadn’t realized it was a lie until after he’d said it though, and by the time it had escaped, he couldn’t quite figure out how to take it back. Because after seeing the same face for months now, he was curious, at least minutely, and the idea that he could meet him was honestly intriguing at least.

As if he could see straight through Damien’s unintentional deception, Kenny smirked. “Look, don’t feel pressured Damien, but if you get the chance to give Earth a try, I’d suggest taking a little jaunt down to South Park. Maybe stay a month or twelve. See if you like it. Even for someone like you, variety is important.”

Closing his hand over the smiling face in the seeing stone, Damien said, “I shall… think on it.”

“Wonderful.” Glancing at the ceiling, as if hearing a voice that Damien couldn't’ Kenny said, “Well, there’s my cue. I’ll see you around Hellboy, don’t forget to visit~” Then he faded from existence, leaving Damien to stare at the spot where he’d once been in abject confusion. For the first time in his conscious life, the demon felt something stirring inside of him, a thought, a  _ desire. _ It was quite strange, but he could articulate it without any trouble at all.

_ I want to go to Earth, and I want to go to South Park. _

Sharply turning into one of the closest doors, Damien set a quick course for his father’s quarters, his mind churning in a way that he’d never had it do before. Kenny had, without any trouble at all, made the son of Satan question all of those things that he’d taken for granted, like staying in hell all his life and never having opinions of his own. It was a mildly uncomfortable feeling, but it was powerful, and he couldn’t shake it. He wanted to meet the person behind the face his stone kept showing him, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be adverse to seeing Kenny again either, if only to figure the boy out.

And that would take leaving hell.

For someone who had never felt excitement, Damien was definitely making good time in getting to Satan.

Throwing open the doors the moment he reached his father’s chambers, Damien found Saddam and Satan sitting on opposite ends of the room, the former impassively irritated, the latter morose and hurt. Ignoring this, Damien called, “Father.”

“Damien!” Satan exclaimed, a small smile flickering over his face. “What can I do for you my-”

“I wish to go to Earth.” At the words, Saddam whipped around and mouthed the word  _ hah _ at Satan. Without breaking his concentration, Damien insisted, “There is a place in Colorado where I must spend time. I want to learn about Mortals and I want to learn about them _there.”_

“Er, South Park?” Satan asked, confused. “Why?”

“Because the Immortal Kenny McCormick lives there,” Damien answered stoutly. “And I wish to know why so many people perish there.”

“Well, I mean it’s not my first pick but it’s better than keeping him down here,” Saddam said, jumping into the conversation. “Let him go Satan, he needs this experience.”

“Um… Well…” Defeated even before he’d begun to argue, Satan’s broad shoulders slumped and he said, “If that’s what you wish, then I guess I could send you there for a while.”

“See,” Saddam cooed, going over to his lover and stroking Lucifer’s beefy arm soothingly. “Baby steps, Love. Our little Devil is growing up.”

“I suppose he is,” Satan commented sadly.

Damien, for his part, hoped that South Park was as nice as Hell this time of year.


	2. Coffee Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT THE FUCK IS UP IT'S QUE BACK WITH SOME MORE CRAZY ASS CREEK CONTENT THAT I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF.
> 
> *removes caps-lock* Ohlerd, guys, almost at 1000 views and it's only the first chapter??? *weeps gently* You guys are too kind. I wish I could give every single one of you a hug, but I'll just have to satisfy myself with giving you another chapter.
> 
> Sorry this took so long, I started it a couple times, and it just... didn't speak to me, so I scraped it all and rewrote it! You know, the usual :D Thank you to Josh especially, whose comment somehow jarred me back into reality and told me to throw out what I'd attempted to write and properly write it in one afternoon. You're so awesome dude.
> 
> Anyways, enough of me talking.
> 
> Enjoy.

“Oh Tweek, have you finished blending our all natural, local coffee grounds yet?”

“AUGH NO JESUS!” With a scream, Tweek tumbled backwards off of the stack of coffee stacks he’d been precariously balanced on. As his pathetically short life flashed before his eyes, the boy flailed his arms and half slid, half bounced down the mountain of beans. World tumbling sickeningly before his eyes, Tweek got ready to accept his fate.  _ Killed making coffee, I should have known it would end this way. _

Below him, a pair of warm, strong arms caught him haphazardly, saving him from his inevitable fate.

“Well hurry up, you wouldn’t want to put our business on the line, right?”

Looking up at the calm, flat face above him, Tweek took a moment to make his lungs function correctly before yelling back, “I’M W-WORKING ON IT DAD!!!”

“Remember if you don’t help out, we’ll sell you into slavery~”  _ Sell me into slavery?? Oh Jesus no, that’s so bad!! _ Tweek was about to scream, when he was pulled solidly against a comforting wall of human that he melted against, shivering despite himself. Even though he wanted to panic, the blond drew in slow, shuddering breaths and told himself,  _ you’re fine, everything is fine. You’ll be okay. _

As if to back this up, the boy holding him buried his nose in Tweek’s hair and rumbled, “It’s alright, I won’t let them.” Though he knew it was true, Tweek still reached up and twisted twitching arms around the other’s neck, clinging to his words physically as well as mentally.  _ I’m going to stay right here, I’m safe. _ Though it took effort to get his mind to agree, he finally managed it and his shivering slowed.

“I know,” Tweek mumbled. Intense, yet calmingly blue eyes met his and the blond held the gaze for as long as he could manage, feeling rather than reading what the other boy was trying to say.  _ I am here for you, you don’t have to worry, your parents can’t hurt you when I’m here. _ There was something wonderful about instinctively knowing what someone else was thinking, and Tweek drew from that as entirely as he could.

Finally though, the taller boy set Tweek down on a sack of coffee and went about warming up the blond’s cup of coffee. Positioned like this, Tweek observed the other just as he found himself doing whenever he could make his brain listen for long enough to really pick up any information. The boy looked like he always had. Tall, five feet now instead of just shy of that magic hight, with the same stygian hair that he never got cut enough. It brushed just past his old, blue chullo in the front, wafting over his forehead and curling past his ears just enough to be noticeable. To be honest, Tweek thought it looked funny.

As his long, steady fingers moved over the buttons of the Microwave, Tweek saw the little pen marks on the backs of the Noirette’s hands and glanced down at his own arms, at the freckles and scars that had been turned into messy constellations. Admittedly he couldn’t draw like the blond could, but he still had some measure of tallent. Then again, these days the taller boy’s hands were more likely to be covered in grease and rust than in paint.

When he turned, Tweek took a second staring at the boy’s face, as if recommitting it to memory. Long, hooked nose, expressionless face, thin mouth, and eyes that took Tweek’s breath away. That brilliant yet powerfully dark blue of his eyes that pierced Tweek, leaving him without words to properly express himself. In the end it didn’t matter, because the blond certainly wasn’t about to stop trying to figure him out.

Handing the blond the now warm mug of coffee, Craig Tucker pulled his chullo down over his forehead just like always before reaching forward and ruffling Tweek’s hair softly. As he sipped the excess coffee off the top so that it didn’t overflow, the blond leaned into the touch ever so slightly and hummed in appreciation. It was amazing, around the Noirette, non-verbal signals were almost better than verbal ones. Privately, it made Tweek smile. They were such opposites, and yet…

“Ngh- I should teach you how to make coffee,” Tweek told the other boy, his fingers tapping obsessively over the chipped ceramic. “You’ve been here for so long now, and you  _ still _ can’t make anything.” His words were met with a raised eyebrow from Craig, then the warm fingers in his hair slipped away.

Sucking in his cheeks for a moment, Craig complained in a monotone, “It’s not as easy as you make it look.” Part of Tweek wanted to quickly protest that it wasn’t easy, but the rest of him just wiggled at the inadvertent compliment.  _ It’s not like you don’t make a whole lot of things look easy too! _ Instead of saying something stupid, the boy quickly sucked down half of his mug of coffee in one go.

“I’ve done it since I was  _ four,” _ Tweek pointed out, eyes flicking over the disheveled back room. Not that it wasn’t always messy, but today it was particularly so, with sacks falling over and more than one pile of coffee beans scattered over the floor. They’d have to clean it up eventually, but for now, this was fine. “I’ve had -rrr- like six years more than you.”

Craig nodded once. “Ye _ p.” _ As always, he popped the ‘p’, drawing a giggle from Tweek, who quickly stifled the rogue sound with another few swallows of coffee. Furrowing his brows abruptly, Craig said, “Weren’t you too short to reach the counter then?”

Letting out a cry of protest, Tweek twitched hard and yelped, “Grrr- GOD! There’s such a thing as chairs man! I’m not  _ that _ short.” Craig snorted at that, which only fueled the blond’s indignancy. “Hey! Asshole!” When the Noirette’s lips pulled upwards in a sligh, teasing smile, Tweek let out a cry of defeat and just downed the rest of his drink.

“Admit it dude, you’re a little short,” Craig chuckled, his face falling back into its usual deadpan at last.

“I grew five inches since last year,” Tweek belligerently argued.

“You’re four-three,” the other boy stated blandly.

Realizing that he’d already lost the argument, Tweek grumbled under his breath and muttered, “Dick.”

“Midget,” Craig returned without so much as a twitch of his eyebrow.

“Bastard” Tweek squeaked, jerking to the side and gesturing with his now empty coffee mug.

Leaning over him, Craig’s eyes glittered as he returned, “Spaz.”

“Shithead!”

“Coffee Addict.”

“Asstown!!”

Craig suddenly doubled over, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Dude.” He sounded slightly breathless.  _ “Asstown?” _

Puffing out his cheeks, Tweek waved his coffee cup around as he complained, “Come on, it w-was the first thing I could think of!”

“But  _ why?” _ Craig asked, still shaking a little with silent laughter. When Tweek pulled a pout, his mirth died away and he caught the flailing coffee mug so he could put it down on the table before the blond broke it. Settling down once Craig gave his hair a little ruffle, Tweek finally gave a grudging smile, which earned him one from Craig in return.

Tweek liked this, the fact that he was so comfortable around Craig that they could snipe at each other and still know that everything was okay. For so long, he’d been terrified that he was stepping on toes and annoying other people but now he had Craig. There was a line, sure, but unlike with the general population, Tweek knew exactly where that line was, and that was reassuring like nothing else. Here, in this slightly claustrophobic backroom, Tweek could be  _ almost _ free.

After a moment spent in companionable silence, Craig’s gears started turning once more and he asked, in his flat, slightly nasally voice, “Do you want me to finish putting the stars on the ceiling, or do you want to do it dude?”

Shivering, Tweek glanced up at the ceiling, and the reason that the entire place was in disarray. Where there had only ever been blank plaster and coffee stains, Craig and Tweek had taken that afternoon and covered the thing with leftover plastic stars that the Noirette had dug out of a back room. It seemed a little silly, putting them here, but Tweek appreciated it more than he would have if Craig had put them in his room, albeit in a roundabout sort of way. The stoic boy had a tendency of doing things like that, stuff that most people wouldn’t have understood, but somehow fit perfectly into the grooves of Tweek’s brain, like they’d just been made for Craig to fill.

“I th-think I can do it,” Tweek insisted, stumbling to his feet and reaching for more of the glowing plastic pieces and yet another tube of super glue. He absolutely detested the stuff, but the blond boy had eventually come to terms with the stuff when Craig had flatly told him that normal glue wouldn’t work as well. “Besides,” Tweek added, scrambling back up his makeshift ladder of coffee sacks. “You need to -ghn- point out w-where they go.”

“I guess,” Craig said, though he didn’t argue. For that, Tweek was thankful. It wasn’t that he  _ needed _ to do it, or couldn’t be the one to help chart the stars they were putting up. Heck, Craig probably wouldn’t need his help at all, he knew the constellations so well, but Tweek liked to prove to  _ himself _ that he was capable. It gave him more confidence in areas he didn’t have any in.

Reaching once more for the place he’d been about to place a star before getting scared by his dad, Tweek let a drop of glue fall onto the star and spread it a little before biting his lip and concentrating as hard as he could before letting the star hover right under the ceiling. “Right here?”

“You got it dude,” Craig reassured him. Satisfied, Tweek snapped the plastic against the plaster and held it for a few seconds, waiting for the glue to harden and seal it to it’s new resting place. The moment he was sure it was secure, Tweek withdrew his hand and let out a breath of pride.

“That’s Orion’s Belt, r-right?” Tweek asked squeakily, looking down at the Noirette and shivering with excitement.

Lifting an eyebrow, Craig said, “Ye _ p, _ now you just have to finish the rest of his legs.” Grinning from ear to ear, Tweek shifted the coffee bags so he could move down the ceiling, tracking the Noirette with his eyes as the taller boy walked closer so he could decide the placement of the next star. Rolling his teeth slightly, making it very easy for Tweek to imagine the boy with a pencil between his lips, Craig let out a puff of air before pointing and saying, “Right there for the next one.”

Stretching forward, careful not to look down while doing it so he didn’t freak out and fall, Tweek picked one of the slightly smaller stars and went through the glueing process all over again. The moment it was in place, Tweek retreated to a more secure foothold and said, “Jesus man, this is gonna look  _ so _ cool when it’s done!!” Attempting to level his own enthusiasm, Tweek dug the fingers of a hand into his hair and exclaimed, “It’ll almost look like  _ your _ room!”

“This place is bigger than my room,” Craig pointed out, moving around the mound of bagged coffee so he could chart the position of the next star. “I think it’s going to look way better.”

“B-but your room is  _ special,” _ Tweek reminded the Noirette, nibbling on his bottom lip as he once again shifted his coffee ladder so he could get to a different spot of empty plaster. “This is just -rrr- a little thing.” It didn’t  _ feel _ little, privately Tweek thought that this was the most exciting thing they’d done all summer, but he sort of understood that it probably wasn’t as big a deal to Craig.

“As long as you like it,” Craig told the blond softly, causing Tweek to jerk abruptly and bobble on his tower. Looking down at the boy, Tweek felt his face grow hot and quickly turned so he could see it in the reflective surface of the coffee processor. It was bright red, but he’d kind of expected as much. Resting easy in the knowledge that it was totally normal and he didn’t need to panic that this was the first sign of a fever, Tweek just rubbed at his cheeks and felt that warmth leak from his cheeks down to his chest.

“I w-will,” Tweek assured the Noirette, pulling out another star and waiting for the boy’s command. Seemingly satisfied with this, Craig looked back down at his book before shifting his finger and pointing once more. And thus the process continued, and Tweek kept grinning like the idiot that he knew he was.

They were a month and a half into the summer, and Tweek was starting to hope that it just lasted forever. Spending almost every day with Craig, often joined by Kenny, Clyde, Token, Bebe and Jimmy or a combination thereof, Tweek had discovered that the three months he had off of school didn’t necessarily have to be miserable. In fact, they could be really fun. More fun that he’d ever had before. If things continued like this, Tweek wasn’t sure what he’d do with all the enjoyment he’d be having.

He still remembered the whole hiking fiasco, getting lost and then finding people and dealing with the fallout, but it was a distant memory at this point. In the grand scheme of things, two days really wasn’t that much. Of course… he sometimes had nightmares, on those nights that Craig wasn’t around and he passed out from sheer lack of sleep, but Tweek didn’t want to mention those. They’d gotten out alive, and that was what really mattered.

Besides, he didn’t want afternoons like this, him teetering on precarious stacks of coffee as Craig tried to give him directions for stars, to be marred by unwanted tension. Something in him told Tweek that the Noirette would blame himself for the shorter boy’s nightmares, and that was the last thing he wanted. He’d deal with them himself, and if it got to be too much, he’d just show up at Craig’s house, and then it would be fine. There was nothing to mention really.

As they whittled away the hours, talking about nothing in particular, the ceiling continued to be populated with little glowing stars. Tweek knew that it wouldn’t be as exact as Craig’s star map, but it would be almost as good. Even with the lights on, when he got really close to them, the plastic glowed dimly, making him grin with delight.  _ Just like Craig does, _ Tweek thought, because it was true. Sometimes, when he looked at the Noirette, the boy glowed with starlight, and Tweek thought that it made the boy look beautiful.  _ Not that I’d ever say that!! Christ, that would be so weird. _

“And… that should do it,” Craig said, snapping the book he’d brought closed as Tweek twitchily held the star in place, waiting for the glue to dry. Holding it in place an extra few seconds, just in case he’d screwed it up, Tweek finally took his hand down and looked around for a way off of the coffee grinder. Whereas getting up had been relatively easy, now that Tweek was looking around, he actually felt kind of…  _ What if I fall in and the grinder grinds me and then my parents serve me to customers and no one ever hears about me again!? OH JESUS!! _

“OH GOD HOW DO I GET DOWN?!” Tweek demanded, yanking at his hair.

Putting down the star atlas next to Tweek’s empty mug, Craig calmly walked forward and held out his long arms. “Come on, jump.”

“I’ll crush you!!” Tweek insisted, twitching hard, still pulling at blond locks like it would help something. It was at that moment however that the machine under him chose to give a shuddering growl and shake menacingly. Nearly leaping out of his skin, Tweek let out a cry of terror and jumped.

Just as promised, Craig’s arms closed around him. On the other hand, the laws of physics still applied and the Noirette stumbled backwards, finally landing on the sack of coffee bags, which tipped over at last, crashing to the floor with not so much of a crash as an unholy slumping sound. Wincing as several different buried machines groaned in protest, Tweek poked his head up and looked down at the Noirette below him.

In the fall, the boy’s hat had come off, letting his oil-black hair spill out over his forehead. His expression was one of complete acceptance, like he didn’t even care that he’d fallen. Even when Tweek looked at him in worry, Craig just puffed out a breath to clear some of the hair from his eyes so he could lock them with Tweek’s.

“Oh no,” the boy said flatly. “I fell.”

Punching Craig’s arm, Tweek protested, “Jesus dude, y-you could have died! I could have squished you!!”

The Noirette snorted. “Nah, what do you weigh, ten pounds?”

“Fifty!!”

“Twig.”

“Giant!”

“Only to you.” Finally devolving into laughter, Tweek let his head flop back down against Craig’s chest and let out a shivery sigh. To be perfectly honest, he was completely content to just stay here and he didn’t even have a reason for it. He was just happy. Perhaps, to be with Craig was enough.

No, he  _ knew _ it was.

Suddenly, there was a call of, “Son, have you finished doing your chores!?”

Shooting to his feet, accidentally landing an elbow in Craig’s stomach, an action he was rewarded for with a swift kick to his shin, Tweek yelped, “N-not yet Dad!!” Glancing back at the Noirette, Tweek squeaked, “We should probably -ghn- get something done.” He really wanted to look at the stars, but he supposed that would have to come in a moment.

Rolling his eyes, Craig got to his feet and said, “Well, this place is a fucking wreck.” Which was a fair assessment of the disaster they’d caused, but Tweek was satisfied regardless, because they’d gotten the stars up and the rest of this was just… collateral. Hurrying to start neatening things up around the edges, starting with the little things and letting Craig replace the big bags of beans, Tweek managed to start to return the room to its original state.

The moment the blender was uncovered, Tweek took a break from cleaning to mix together the various ingredients of his parents special brew. He shivered at the smell, that slightly heady, yet obviously dangerous aroma that he associated with so many horrible things that he didn’t want to remember. There was something horribly wrong with it, but for the life of him, he’d never been able to figure out what, so he just didn’t do anything. As long as he didn’t drink it, he’d be fine, right?

While the machine churned and belched loudly, Tweek turned back to help Craig, only to find the Noirette staring at something on the wall. Looking in the direction of the boy’s eyes, Tweek saw the browned streaks on the wall and let out a loud noise. “Ngh- LOOKS LIKE W-WE’RE ALMOST DONE!!”

Turning back to him, apparently not catching Tweek’s nervousness, Craig glanced around and said, “I mean, it’s better than it was when we got here.”  _ Anything is better than how it is, this place is always a disaster. _ But instead of saying that, Tweek bobbed his head quickly and attempted a smile that came out a little like a grimace. Letting out a breath, the taller boy walked towards him and reached out an arm, pulling Tweek to his side. “It’s not even your problem dude, if your dad trips over a coffee bag it’s his own damn fault.”

Finding Craig’s rough words comforting, Tweek leaned against the boy and mumbled, “Y-yeah, but can you picture what he’d be like injured? Jesus, that w-would be so  _ horrible.” _ Largely due to the sheer annoyance but that was just a detail. Deciding to change the subject, Tweek wiggled beside Craig and asked, “S-so are we gonna look at the stars?”

Glancing down at him owlishly and raising an eyebrow, Craig waited a beat before saying, “Of course.” Stepping towards the center of the room, the Noirette pulled Tweek to the ground and onto a coffee sack. “Close your eyes,” he told the blond softly, before stepping away from him. Twitching slightly, Tweek wrestled with the command for a moment before giving in and squeezing his eyes shut tight.

“O-okay!” he squeaked nervously. A moment later, the light coming through his eyelids vanished, plunging Tweek’s world into true darkness. Shivering worriedly, feeling the eyes of the monsters hiding behind the walls on him, Tweek’s breath came more easily when he felt Craig’s arm press up against his own. Still, he kept his eyes shut tight until one of Craig’s gentle hands found his own and squeezed.

Letting his lids pop open, Tweek was instantly dazzled. Above them, just like in Craig’s room were stars. All of the little points of light that they’d so carefully organized there for him to see. Something about the fact that he’d done it with Craig, helping the Noirette decorate the ceiling, made it so much more special than Tweek could have ever articulated, so he just pressed himself up to the taller boy’s side and mentally counted the stars.

Craig had never offered to put these stars in Tweek’s room, but the blond wouldn’t have wanted him to, even if he had. Here, they were comforting, whereas in his room they would have just been a nice touch. Tweek needed the comfort more than he needed the sentiment, safety more than he wanted pretty pictures.

Because in Tweek’s mind, his room was at least mostly safe. Sure there were monsters and killers and horrible things just behind the corner, but he could keep the lights on and scare them away, and he could escape his room if he needed to. It wasn’t locked, and even if it had been, he could get through the window. Or some other way that would let him get out. And he had things in there that could help him, protect him if he needed them. Most importantly, Craig would be able to find him there.

But here, in the back room where he’d been locked up countless times for sometimes a day or two at a time, Tweek didn’t have an easy escape route. In fact, he didn’t have any escape route. So to have stars here, where he’d be able to lie back and look at if he didn’t have Craig with him, meant a lot more to Tweek than having them in his room. If something happened, he’d be able to turn off the lights and be in Craig’s room. Or outside, or wherever he wanted to be.

And then the Noirette would find him, and everything would be alright.

“They’re  _ amazing,”  _ Tweek breathed, shivering and clinging to Craig’s hand.

“Yeah, they’re pretty awesome dude,” Craig agreed, blase as ever. “I wish that you’d helped me with my room, because then it would look as good as this.”

Tweek protested, “B-but your room is better!”

“No _ pe.” _ Craig buried his nose in Tweek’s hair. “If my room could look like this, I’d be sooo happy.”

Before Tweek could argue, the door opened and the sound of Richard Tweak’s voice interrupted their world. “Son, I’m glad that you’ve finished making the coffee,” he said, sounding as pleasantly dead as ever. “I suppose we won’t have to sell you after all.”

Scrambling to sit up, feeling weird about his dad being there, Tweek turned to find both of his parents smiling at him. They weren’t even bothering to turn on the light, but Tweek secretly believed that they had night vision and didn’t need lights at all. “Ngh- W-what do you want?” Tweek asked, pulling on his hair and twitching.

“Your mother and I are going out to go to a coffee tasting and we need you to run the shop,” Tweek’s dad said, smiling brightly. “You’re eighteen now, which is plenty old enough to be working. When I was your age, I was in a steel mill. But now I have my own business, which shows you what you can do if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps. That’s the Tweak way, building from the ground up creating something to be proud of. Like our seasonal blends, made with all natural-”

“We’ll be fine Mr. Tweak,” Craig said calmly, getting up and ruffling Tweek’s hair just as the boy was about to scream. “Thank you, have a good time.”

“I’m so glad that you’ve found such a wonderful young man to spend your life with , darling,” Tweek’s mother commented, smiling in her sweetest, most doll-like way. Tweek meanwhile let out a screech as what she’d said registered.

Even as he was yelling, “W-WE’RE FRIENDS!!!” his parents were leaving, giving Tweek nothing to do but growl in frustration and pull at his hair. “Rrr- God…” he muttered, shivering and shaking his head miserably.

“It’s alright dude, ignore them,” Craig told Tweek calmly. “That’s what I do to Ruby.”

“B-but your sister is nice,” Tweek mumbled.  _ Unlike my parents, who are so crazy I don’t think that there’s a scale made to contain them. _

“No, she’s an asshole.”

“Not everyone is a-an asshole, Craig,” Tweek admonished.

A moment later, there was the sound of the bell over the door ringing, signalling his parents official departure. Resigning himself to a few hours of hell, Tweek looked over to Craig and found the boy already looking at him. “Ready to do this dude?” Craig asked flatly.

Giving the ceiling and all its stars one last look, Tweek steeled himself and said, “Y-yeah man, let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone draws this scene for me, I will probably die. In like, a really good way.
> 
> Do you think I can get a new chapter out tomorrow~?? I bet I can, especially if you guys want me too XD (Lowkey, just ask, I'll do it. I am easily convinced.)
> 
> Now, I have to get the neighbors sausage dog to stop drooling on my foot. See you soon~


	3. How The Cookie Crumbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCKING Ao3 NOT TELLING PEOPLE WHEN I UPDATE AUGHHHHHHHH!!!
> 
> sorry, just had to rage. I'm fixing it, don't worry. In other news, I did it, I wrote a chapter! I hope it makes you guys smile.
> 
> Before I let you go read, I have an important question for you. It used to be here, but due to Ao3's policies, it had to be taken down. I got got, but I guess sometimes that's just how it be like it do.
> 
> Despite having to go back and change these author's notes, I still adore you guys~
> 
> Enjoy.

_ Oh fuck, how do you turn on the goddamn oven? _

Craig, admittedly, had never been skilled at some of the finer points of homelife. For instance, the concept of actually making coffee entirely eluded him, as did actually cleaning a room instead of simply shifting the shit to different locations. He’d never learned how to properly fold socks, which was a source of amusement for Token for some reason. And to be honest, if you asked him to set the table, he’d probably  _ still _ put things on the wrong sides of the plate, which despite being a circle would no doubt be backwards by way of some mysterious law of physics he didn’t understand.

But if you were to pick one thing that was Craig’s absolute nemesis, it would be cooking. He’d avoided it as much as possible because the thought of making something that didn’t look like conveniently shaped lumps of charcoal was not only terrifying, but entirely foreign. Somewhere along the lines of growing up, Craig had just  _ missed _ something, and that was becoming increasingly apparent as he stood in front of the small oven that Tweak Bro’s came equipped with, feeling more lost than he had since Eagle’s peak.

“Ngh- Jesus w-why are you just standing there?” Tweek squeaked, yanking at his hair with one hand as he poured something into a bowl he’d pulled out of nowhere. He was standing on one of those ingenious and terrifying stools that had wheels on it, and Craig wasn’t quite sure he trusted the blond  _ not _ to fall off of it. Realizing he’d been asked a question, a little belatedly, Craig turned back towards the oven and turned one of the knobs.

The machine made a loud groaning sound.

“Fuck,” Craig muttered, jumping back as a lick of flame shot from one of the burners on the top of the stove. Haphazardly, he twisted the knob again, only succeeding in making the flames leap higher. As Tweek screamed, Craig let out a substantially louder exclamation of,  _ “Fuck!” _ before jumping forward and turning the burner off hurriedly.

“Just turn it on!” Tweek insisted, his face contorting as he jerked to one side. “Oh god, d-do you know what you’re doing??”

Turning around, Craig opened his mouth before closing it again and tugging his chullo down over his forehead. Tweek let out a sigh of exasperation, but Craig knew it wasn’t one of genuine irritation. “Did you never cook or a-anything?” the blond asked as he scrambled down off of his stool and took the clean hand from his hair so he could twist the center knob of the oven.

“No,” Craig answered, slightly miffed as he realized that Tweek knew an awful lot for someone who probably shouldn’t have been trusted around open flames. “My Mom cooks for me.”  _ When they let me eat, when I don’t piss them off enough that they just ignore me. _ Then again, when he thought about the shorter boy’s situation, it made a worrying amount of sense.

“My mom cooked for me!” Tweek insisted, shivering and looking up at Craig with furrowed and pinched brows. “Just -ngh- not all the time. So I learned a  _ little.” _ Glancing over at the disaster area around the cookie dough, Craig considered that among what Tweek had learned, the finer points of neatness had escaped him.

“That’s cool dude,” Craig reassured the blond, not really giving a fuck either way whether Tweek decided to cook or not. “Guess I just didn’t.”

“Oh, well…” Trailing off, Tweek tugged on a lock of his hair before softly saying, “I f-figured that if I could make something that tasted good, then maybe-” He shook his head violently. “Oh Christ, I sound stupid! It’s just that it’s c-calming!” For a second, he wanted to question what Tweek was talking about, but then Craig let it slip from his mind in favor of simply ruffling Tweek’s hair.

They’d been manning Tweak Bro’s alone for an hour so far, after Tweek’s parents had run away on some contrived excursion to escape. Admittedly, at first Craig had been downright irate over how often the blond’s parents just up and left, dropping whatever work they were doing onto Tweek’s shoulders without a second thought, but after a while, he’d gotten used to it. To be honest, he’d done so because Tweek had acted like it was normal and he hadn’t been able to articulate his outrage well enough to disagree.

And to be fair, Tweek didn’t do a bad job of it. He knew how to operate the machines, and when he wasn’t trapped in the back room, he often did things like mix new types of coffee or bake treats in the oven that he could sell for pennies of what they were probably worth. Sure the mixes were often pretty bad, and the food was sometimes burnt, but Tweek was pretty alright at it. All things considered, Craig decided that standing back and letting Tweek handle things was usually the better option as opposed to stepping in and trying to help, only to fuck things up.

Maybe that wasn’t being entirely honest with himself. He’d gotten a pretty good handle on the basics around the place. Without trouble, Craig could work the cash register and even mix some pretty basic coffee. The ones that were already pre-mixed, at any rate. Hell, he’d even been able to fix several of the coffee makers that Tweek kept complaining about. Sure he wasn’t the most  _ helpful _ of workmates, but he was a functional one.

Right now though, it was just the two of them in the shop, and Craig was fine with that. Watching as Tweek threw ingredients into the bowl in front of him before diving into the mess hands first so he could blend it together, Craig asked, “So when do you close tonight?”

Glancing up, Tweek’s eyes suddenly widened and he gave a screech before reaching his hands up towards his head, stopping just short of his hair. “JESUS WHAT IF THEY DON’T GET HOME BEFORE CLOSING!? GOD I HATE W-WHEN THEY DO THAT!!” Sighing, Craig grabbed a wooden spoon from where it had been left untouched beside the also untouched measuring cups and walked over to the blond. Despite not having the faintest clue when it came to cooking, he could  _ stir. _

Taking over the mixing job, Craig calmly said, “It’s fine dude, we’ll just leave early or something.” To be perfectly honest, the Noirette hated Tweek’s parents. He didn’t  _ mean _ to, and really he disliked most people, but Mr. and Mrs. Tweak were different. The two of them were more crazy than anyone had any right to be and neither deserved to have a son like Tweek, who legitimately needed fucking help sometimes. He told himself that he couldn’t do anything about it, but it still ticked him off.

“I can’t leave early,” Tweek mumbled, wringing his splattered hands nervously as he shifted from foot to foot. “W-what if they find out, and then they get upset and they kill me and I never see you again?? I can’t handle that!” On his stool, he was an inch taller than Craig, which was mildly disconcerting for the Noirette, but he took it in stride, simply reaching up a little higher than normal to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Then we’ll leave when you’re supposed to close.” Deciding that the dough had sufficiently thickened, Craig looked up at Tweek and raised an eyebrow. Squeaking, as he so often did, the blond hurried down from his perch and snatched the mixing bowl out of the Noirette’s hands so he could run it to the little refrigerator under the counter. With a quick shove, the blond stowed the mix and turned rapidly towards Craig.

“They don’t usually stay out that l-long,” Tweek mumbled, though Craig had a feeling the boy was convincing himself more than anyone else. Sometimes, Craig was sure that Tweek understood just how fucked up his parents were, other times, he felt like the blond was more inclined to believe nothing was wrong than just face the truth. He didn’t blame the shorter boy, but at the same time, he knew that just in the past month, there had been several instances of Tweek’s parents leaving for long enough that the two of them had to close the shop.

Which was fine, maybe.

Set on taking the blond’s mind off of things, Craig nudged the boy’s rolling stool over towards the sink in a clear non-verbal suggestion that Tweek took at once. Twitching, he raced for the sink and was just scrambling up onto the stool when the bell over the door tinkled. Turning, Craig took in the typical Colorado hipster who had managed to wander into South Park in the hopes of finding a _rare_ _gem_ only to be severely disappointed.

First verifying that Tweek was indeed washing his hands and not distracted by the customer, Craig walked over to the counter and stepped onto the empty crate they’d found out back so that he could comfortably see over the counter. In the least abrasive deadpan he could manage, Craig blithely said, “Welcome to Tweak Bro’s, what do you want?”

Hardly even batting an eye at how young the two of them were -typical- the hipster deliberated for a long time over the menu before asking, “Ummm, do you, like,  _ locally _ source that soy, or are you shipping it from those processing plants?” Having no fucking clue what he was talking about, Craig turned to Tweek, who twitched hard and stared at him with wide, vividly green eyes.

“Isn’t everything here…  _ local…?” _ Craig asked eventually, unsure if he was interpreting the jargon correctly or not.

Snapping to attention, the blond shrieked and blurted out, “GHA! Yes, even the s-soy is local!!” Scrambling to get to the register, leaving the water running in his hurry, Tweek pushed past Craig so that he could stand on the box instead and talk to the customer. His chin scraped the countertop. “If you’re l-looking for something really good though, there’s a type of black c-coffee I can make that’s  _ way _ better than anything with soy in it.”

Leaving Tweek to his natural element, Craig moved back to the mess they’d left everywhere and started cleaning up. Wetting a few paper towels before turning off the water, Craig let the talk of Cane Sugar, GMO scares, and pesticides flow past him. Mysteriously, Tweek had managed to entirely coat his section of counter in cookie paste, which was frankly miraculous in Craig’s mind. Most people had to try to achieve this level of disaster.

“Listen, most of these, like,  _ cafes _ are really nice but I  _ only _ drink coffee with organic blends,” the Hipster was insisting, making Craig roll his eyes. God, Hipsters in general annoyed him, their standing slightly below Emos, who were slightly below Goths. All three groups, two of which he couldn’t even fucking tell apart, were just  _ irritating. _ They were so convinced that they were special that they failed to notice that they were all exactly alike, just with different color schemes.

Rinsing off the last remnants of cookie dough without fucking anything up, Craig surveyed his work and jerked his head when Tweek squeaked, “Ngh- c-can you get some of the coffee I was grinding in the back??” Giving the boy a sidelong look that asked  _ are you sure you want to be left alone with this weirdo? _ Craig lifted an eyebrow.

Tweek’s returning look very clearly responded with  _ I’ll be fine! _ Possessing no reason not to take the blond at his word, Craig ambled towards the back room and searched around for one of those paper bags that he’d seen Tweek filling with grounds. Locating them, Craig grabbed one and made his way over to the still shuddering machine. Dubiously looking at it, the Noirette at last gave up and ducked down so he could fill the paper bag with fresh grounds.

To be fair, Craig really wasn’t too paranoid about something happening to Tweek. The blond had been handling himself for years before he came along and he’d only improved. On the flip side of things, there were still those stories about how Tweek sometimes ended up reduced to panic attacks when dealing with customers. There were several stories in particular that made Craig’s stomach turn, especially the ones where the customer had continued to shout at Tweek through his episode, but all in all, the boy did fine.

The benefit to Craig’s presence came when there was someone really troublesome and he could handle them instead of Tweek freaking out. It helped give the blond the patience to deal with assholes like the Hipster instead of getting stressed out by them. All in all, it was a good system, one that he’d swear by to be honest.

Tempted to drag his feet in getting back to Tweek and the guy he was dealing with, Craig pictured the blond screaming and he decided against it. Stepping out of the back room, Craig walked towards Tweek and handed him the bag. When the Hipster gave them both a weird look, Craig pulled his chullo down over his forehead and bumped his arm up against Tweek’s, draining what stress the boy was dealing with away. Then he ambled back towards the remaining drips of cookie batter so he could clean them up before they got hard to remove.

After a few minutes of talking, coffee making, and thankfully paying, the Hipster left and Tweek let out a low moan of consternation. “Jesus, I h-hate people like that,” he groaned. Personally, Craig thought that Tweek had dealt with the dumbass perfectly, but he didn’t blame the blond. Tossing out his napkins, the Noirette straightened and headed for Tweek.

Wrapping his arms around the blonde from behind, too lazy to actually turn him around, Craig hummed and waited for Tweek’s shivering to lessen before saying, “Don’t worry, I hate them too dude.” Planting his chin on Tweek’s head, the Noirette continued, “Plus, his mustache was really shitty looking.”

That, just as Craig had hoped, made Tweek convulse with squeaky giggles. Wiggling away from the taller boy, Tweek admitted, “Ghn- It r-really did man, like a caterpillar had crawled onto his face or s-something.” The image pushed the right button in Craig’s head, and he snorted, unable to stop himself.

“Totally dude,” he agreed fervently as Tweek withdrew the cookie dough from the fridge and headed over to the baking pan he’d already laid out. To be honest, this Hipster wasn’t the first person that had walked into the store that he’d opined over. Craig found it sort of interesting to watch the people who walked into the store. He’d never been much for paying attention to the random strangers around him, but when he was here, with nothing better to do than talk to Tweek and clean, watching people had quickly become an interest of his.

Now, he didn’t give two shits about any of these strangers, but they were different, and already he’d managed to come away with some pretty amusing stories that he could tell Clyde and Token, the former of whom ate up shit like this in a heartbeat. Kenny had called it  _ people watching, _ Craig had retorted that he wasn’t a bastard like the mischievous blond, and so he didn’t do creepy shit like that, but still…

It was something to do, right?

For instance, there was a woman who was convinced that dogs were going to take over the world, and she’d always talk about it, turning around quickly as if she was looking for the canines that were surely on here tail. There was also a wispy person that Craig, to this day, hadn’t figured out the gender of who never failed to call him Cherry and Tweek, Peach. He’d decidedly never questioned it.

And sure, there were the assholes, but you could mostly just ignore them.

The sound of metal against metal screeched through his eardrums, and Craig came out of his thoughts so he could watch Tweek slide the tray of cookies into the oven and set the timer with twitching fingers. “How long till they’re done?” Craig asked absently, noting the concentration in the shorter boy’s eyes that always showed up when he was doing something like this.

Flicking his gaze towards Craig, Tweek squeaked, “Ngh- not long. But I’ll watch them, just in case something happens. Jesus, I don’t want them to c-catch on fire or something!”  _ Well, I mean they could. _ But he didn’t say that aloud. Glancing around the shop and deciding that there was nothing really to do, Craig wandered back into the workroom, content to let Tweek handle the cookies. There was something he wanted to look at, now that he had the chance.

As he walked into the back room, the stars along the ceiling glowed until he turned the light on, making the Noirette smile softly. Even against the coffee-stained plaster, they looked good. He’d been worried that Tweek would say no, but after spending enough time in the dingey place, he’d decided that it needed something to brighten it up. And the idea that Tweek would be able to look up and think of him made Craig’s insides feel warm.

Pushing those thoughts aside as he shifted his attention, Craig honed in on the streaked brown across the wall. It had been bugging him since they’d moved the sacks away from the wall and revealed it, and he couldn’t help himself. Of course, it could have just been coffee, but there was something about it that had him perturbed.

Though he didn’t know  _ everything _ about how Tweek had been treated in his young years, Craig did know that he’d been locked up in this place more than once. He couldn’t even imagine what that must have been like, but it was marks like this, ones that were at just the right height that a short kid sitting on the mounds of coffee would have been able to reach them, that made his stomach churn. Stepping closer, Craig knelt down on the coffee bags and stared intently at it.

Running his hands over the browned marks, Craig picked up on the scratches, the actual grooves in the siding like someone had carved it up with their fingernails. Blood chilling, Craig’s mouth turned down slightly in a frown as he picked at the stains, some of which flaked off. Just like coffee didn’t.  _ Fuck. _ He knew, logically, that they were old, but it didn’t matter. It just left him with more questions.

Because there were bloody fingernail grooves in the wall, and he was pretty sure they hadn’t been made by a hobo who had wandered in and died. Not for the first time, Craig marveled at the fact that Tweek had survived for this long.

His thoughts were, unfortunately, once again cut short by the blond himself. This time though, it wasn’t the screech of a pan but the scream of, “OH GOD I’M SORRY W-WE DON’T HAVE THAT!!!” that brought his head up. Shooting to his feet, the blood on the wall forgotten, Craig strode quickly out of the back room, slamming the door behind him. The sound made Tweek, who was already cowering away from the angry customer at the counter, leap backwards and tumble to the ground with a shriek. Then he was rolling on the floor, moaning with pain and clutching the back of his head.

“Oh my god, why the hell am I having to deal with a retarded child?” the businessman demanded, his thick eyebrows drawn together in outrage.

“JESUS S-STOP LEAVE ME AL-LONE!!” Tweek begged, twitching and huddling up against the counter as he yanked at his hair and trembled like a leaf. It was so obvious that he was on the verge of having a panic attack, and yet the man talking to him seemed to care not one bit. The whole thing was so  _ predictable _ but it was enough to tip the Noirette into protective mode.

Mind going blank but for the thought of getting Tweek out of there and away from the man, Craig briskly stepped forward and helped the blond to his feet. Still upset, apparently, the man grumbled, “Oh great, there are two of you. Maybe you’re a little more component.”

Moving Tweek behind him, unsurprised when the blond let out a whimper and hurried towards the backroom, away from the dick in front of them, Craig said with as much calm as he could manage, “Fuck you, he’s not anything other than none of your business. If he says we don’t have something, then we don’t.”

Bristling with righteous indignation, the man growled, “How dare you talk to a  _ paying customer _ like that, where the hell is your manager?”  _ How dare you talk like that to Tweek, _ Craig wanted to repeat, but instead he just stood on the box and got in the man’s face in return, unafraid despite only being half the size of the man.

“I said fuck you, you haven’t paid for anything, and we don’t owe you shit,” Craig said in a flat, unaffected voice. “The manager is out right now, so if you want to order something, then order, otherwise, leave.”

“You’re only twelve!” the business man snapped.

“Ten,” Craig corrected. “And you’re a jackass.” Then, because he fucking could, he flipped the man off proudly.

“Did you just flip me off!?!” the man demanded, outraged.

Relishing the word, Craig very slowly said, “Ye _ p.” _

“That’s it!!” roared the man, slamming a fist into the table. “You can tell your fucking manager that he’s a cunt and that he’s just lost a patron.” Turning around, still brimming with righteous fury, the man stormed out of the establishment, slamming the door behind him. Hardly paying attention to him anymore at all, Craig instantly darted for the back room, Tweek crowding any and all thoughts out of his mind.

_ I fucking hate assholes like that, _ he thought viciously as he ran out from behind the counter.  _ I fucking hate people who think they can come in here and yell at Tweek just because he’s not like them. I hate how they call him shitty names like that, I fucking hate arrogant bastards. _ And he hated that Tweek had to deal with them, and then had to deal with the fallout when the stress got to be too much. But then he was opening the door to the back room, and he decided to be angry the the world another time.

The first thing he registered when he walked into the room was darkness. The lights had been turned off, and the change disoriented him. Momentarily confused, Craig stopped in his tracks as the door slowly swung shut behind him. “Tweek?” he called in confusion, raising his voice. “Tweek, are you-”

“I’m f-fine.” At that small voice, Craig looked down and found the boy huddled up against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. Heart slowing somewhat, Craig knelt down next to the boy, feeling rather than seeing the way the blond was trembling.  _ Fucking pieces of shit, making him freak out. _ Shoving those thoughts down, Craig reached out and slipped an arm around the boy’s shoulders.

For a moment, Tweek didn’t move, then he rocked into Craig and made a pathetic noise. “Jesus, I h-hate myself, why c-can’t I handle them?” Insides aching for Tweek, the Noriette drew in a sharp breath and wished that he had a good reason. The fact of the matter was, he didn’t know how to help Tweek like that. He’d seen the blond get so much better at sticking up for himself, but that was against people his own size, not grown-ups who had nothing but anger for him. This was different, and Craig was at a loss.

So instead, he just looked up at the stars they’d set up and hummed under his breath, curling his arms protectively around the blond. Mind flying towards his own parents, the back of his mother’s hand and his father’s alcohol-addled gaze, Craig found himself saying, “I don’t think anyone can stand up against everything. You’re allowed to be scared.”

“Not this s-scared,” Tweek mumbled. Letting out a breath, the Noirette gave up trying to find the right words and just buried his fingers in the blond’s fluffy hair, dragging them through the tangled locks carefully, pulling the stress out of the twitching boy’s body. It took a minute or two, but eventually, Tweek relaxed against Craig, defeated, or possibly just tired. Wishing for something better, but knowing that this was probably all he was going to get for now, Craig pulled the boy’s head against his shoulder and let out a sigh.

“You’ll get better at it dude,” Craig said, injecting a note of confidence into his flat voice. “Someday, it’ll be you defending me.”

That made Tweek giggle softly. “Y-yeah right.”

“Ye _ p.” _

After a moment more of silence, there was the sound of the bell over the door ringing, and Tweek started, but Craig held him down. “I’ll handle it,” he said, ruffling the boy’s hair once more before getting to his feet.

“Are you sure?” Tweek asked softly, watching as the boy walked towards the door.

“I’m sure.” As he opened the door, Craig turned and managed a slight smile for the blond. “We’re working together, right?” Tweek’s eyes caught the light, and Craig saw the acquiescence in those chartreuse eyes.  _ I’ll be fine, _ he reassured the boy silently.

_ I know, _ Tweek responded, just as easily.

Then he was letting the door close behind him and he was walking out, putting on his best deadpan as he did so. Just another summer day really, eventually, they’d get used to Craig.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. That took forever. Thank you Angel for sparking my creativity with just a few simple words, you're quite possibly magic. Or possibly just a verbal genius. Either way, I tip my hat to you my dude.
> 
> Sorry there was no Kenny, he'll be in the next chapter, swear.
> 
> Hugs to Blaine, you're so wonderful, thank you for supporting me like you have~


	4. May All Your Cookies (not) Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh heccc, this is really happening.
> 
> Okay, so first off, I'm dedicating this chapter to Blake. Thank you Blake for reading this story and being so kind. I'm honestly blown away that you're still reading this. Your kindness is genuinely appreciated more than you could ever know.
> 
> Which brings me to my next point, which I've forgotten for reasons that will save this story from being deleted!
> 
> So yeah, without further ado~
> 
> Enjoy.

Tweek had never much liked the back room.

It was cramped, and suffocating, and the smell of coffee and the weird ingredients his parents always had on hand overpowered everything else. Put together with the fact that it was always a toss up whether the exits would be entirely blocked or not and you got a death trap that terrified Tweek. It was only too easy to imagine, after all, how the doors would all end up locked once more and he wouldn’t be able to find the little bathroom in the back where he could get fresh water, and he’d just dehydrate and shrivel up and die.

But that really wasn’t why he hated the place, as unbelievable as that sounded. No, what really scared him were the whispers.

Whenever he ended up back there and the lights went off, Tweek could hear them, murmuring  _ things _ , horrible, clawing, terrible murmurs. And they came from the monsters just beyond himself that mumbled to him the most insidious of words. He’d never understood where they came from, but they were unrelenting and evil. His parents hadn’t believed him when he’d tried to tell them years ago, but they always came. Sometimes they’d show up in other places, but this particular room was where they were strongest.

So it seemed a little counter intuitive that he would be curled up there with the lights off after suffering from a near panic attack, but there Tweek was regardless. Of course, the place wasn’t completely dark; he could see the stars above him, wavering slightly in his distorted vision, but the moment Craig left, Tweek could hear them muttering to him. 

Talking about things that he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand. 

Softly telling him that if he closed his eyes, they’d catch him at last, and even Craig wouldn’t be able to save him.

If he let them in, they’d kill him, he knew it was true.

Staring at the stars, focusing on them as closely as possible, Tweek strained his ears and picked up on the rumbling of Craig’s voice. Whether it was from outside dealing with customers, or if it came from the stars above him, it didn’t much matter. That, at least, was soothing, keeping the whispers at bay. Counting the glowing plastic pieces, each constellation memorized at this point, Tweek took in shallow breaths and tried to get himself back under control.

He hated customers like that, the ones who leaned over the counter and shouted at him like he was able to do anything about their problems. But more than that, he was scared of them, and he hated himself for not being able to deal with them. Craig just stood up and cursed right back at them like he didn’t have a care for what they did in return. He probably didn’t; Tweek didn’t think he could. The Noirette was way stronger than the shorter boy ever would be.

As his breathing slowed, Tweek blinked at the stars, wondering if they too would add to the whispers among the coffee bags. Sometimes, he wondered if he was hearing the voices of the coffee itself, or possibly the machinery around him. But others, he could only guess that it was the monsters that hid just beyond the light. Surrounding him and waiting for just the right time to strike. Or maybe they were biding their time.

He only knew that someday, they would come.

Craig was using one of the coffee machines right at that moment, Tweek could hear it as the boy made a brew for whoever was looking for one. Honing in on those sounds, the blond managed a smile at the sound of the Noirette telling the machine to,  _ “Go fucking die in the hole you came from.” _ Though he actively tried to help his friend understand the mechanics of coffee making, he wasn’t above laughing at Craig’s continued bafflement at anything that had to do with caffeinated beverages.

He was in the middle of listening to the boy attempt to figure out the whipped cream machine once again when a different noise distracted him. It wasn’t a whisper, it wasn’t the squeak of a mutant rat or anything else that Tweek might have expected. First, there was an ungodly  _ whoosh _ that echoed from every wall, making the blond let out a squeak and fling his head around in confusion. Then, there was a crack and the sound of chanting song in a language he didn’t understand. Whatever they were saying, Tweek could feel the hair on his arms standing on end, and he pressed himself against the wall in fear, letting out a whimper.

Suddenly, there was a flash of fiery light and a swirling hole opened in mid air, spitting from it tongues of flame and a gust of heat that cut through the fearful chill that had taken over Tweek. Before the blond could scream or otherwise speak, something unceremoniously tumbled out of the tear in reality and the hole closed once more, sucking the heat back out of the room as quickly as it had come.

Instead of screaming (because what if Craig came running and the thing came after both of them?), Tweek raced for the light, flipping it on before flattening himself against the wall in fear.  _ Oh god, what’s going on, what just happened?? Jesus, did something just fall out of the sky? I can’t handle that!! It’s too much! _ Involuntary sounds of fear began to escape before Tweek slapped a hand over his mouth, and the boy slowly looked down at the coffee sacks where the thing had fallen.

Before his eyes, the thing, or rather, the  _ person _ slowly got to their feet, limbs cooperating slowly, as if they were disoriented. As they stood up, Tweek registered the black hair, the glowing eyes, and the furious expression stamped into the person’s face.  _ He, _ Tweek thought, before those eyes caught him and he let out a muffled squeak.  _ Oh god, he’s going to kill me. I’ve seen him, and he’s here to destroy the world so now he’s going to kill me!! _

Except... 

Wait, he looked like a kid, shorter than Craig actually, and to be honest, he looked more disgruntled than anything. Rustling his clothing, which was all black, the boy glanced at Tweek and said, in a strangely serious voice, “Is this South Park?”

Not trusting himself not to scream, Tweek nodded rapidly several times, still caught between confusion and terror. Furrowing those thick brows, the boy nodded and looked over the room with a scrutinizing eye, like he was trying to understand what was going on. To be fair, Tweek was still trying to figure out what the hell had just happened as well. There was a strange child in the back room that had just dropped from a glowing circle of fire, and Tweek wasn’t at all convinced that this didn’t mean he was about to die.

“I see,” the boy said at last, his eyes dancing with fire. Gulping down another scream, Tweek twitched and shivered against the wall, wanting to run but unsure if he could get away fast enough. _Oh god, I thought this year was going to be normal, who is this?? Why do things like this keep happening to me?!_ _I need to get to Craig!_ Edging towards the door, Tweek was almost instantly frozen in place by the glare of the boy.

“Who are you?”  he asked, his voice nothing short of commanding. Tweek didn’t want to give a name to this creature, this human who had dropped into the back of his parents’ coffee shop, but he didn’t dare refuse. There was something about the boy that demanded respect, and Tweek wasn’t fearless enough in that moment to  _ not _ give it to him.

“Ack! T-TWEEK!” the blond yelped, jerking hard to one side.  _ Jesus, what if I’m imagining him and this is all in my head?? _ But he felt fairly convinced that this was real, and that was definitely worse. So he just trembled under the boy’s gaze and waited for him to strike the blond dead or  _ something. _

Instead, the boy simply chewed over the word like this was important and repeated, “Tweek…” Turning in a slow circle, he asked, “And where is  _ this?” _

“Th-the coffee shop,” Tweek squeaked, his shaking only growing worse. “My parents -rrr- own it.” Another long look around, then the boy nodded. Before Tweek could ask why he wanted to know, the boy was approaching him, his pale face and burning eyes putting Tweek in mind of some sort of devil. Letting out a whimper, Tweek pressed himself into the wall and prepared for death, because what else could be coming?

Reaching into his pocket, the boy withdrew his hand, and Tweek let out a shriek, only for the boy to stop and give him a strange look. “Why are you screaming at me?” he asked, as if this severely confused him. Shivering, the blond gave another whimper, which was only met with the mysterious child pulling something out of his pocket and showing it to Tweek. “Have you seen this mortal?”

Struggling to focus on the thing, which looked like a large, flat stone, Tweek caught sight of the laughing face in the rock and tried to understand what was going on. The image was of a blond boy with a red hat and a big, brown bow tied beneath his chin. Baffled as to why this terrifying creature wanted to find someone who looked so utterly carefree and happy, Tweek twitched hard and mumbled, “N-no, I haven’t.”

As the boy withdrew the stone and stared at it himself, frowning as if troubled by Tweek’s answer, the blond shuddered and suddenly burst out, “Ngh- W-who are you!?” Clamping a palm over his own mouth at once, cursing himself, Tweek shook as the boy looked back up at him, and those thick brows furrowed once more.  _ Oh god, why did I open my mouth, I’m really going to die now, I don’t want to die, I’m too young!! And Craig will forget about me! _

But instead of smiting him where he stood, the boy simply straightened and said, in a grave voice, “Damien.” The moment he spoke the name, the chanting song returned, and a chill ran through the room. Just a first name, nothing else. Tweek wanted to scream again, but didn’t dare after the boy had asked him why he was so loud.  _ Oh god, why does this have to happen?? _

“Oh,” Tweek whimpered softly, as if that explained anything. Damien, as he was named, stared at Tweek for a moment longer before turning around and walking away from him. Able to breath a little more easily now that the boy wasn’t quite so close, the blond held a hand over his frantically thumping heart and hoped it didn’t explode or just stop working, because that wouldn’t be a fun way to go. Not that any way of dying sounded fun! Jesus no!!

Still staring at the wall, Damien asked, “Do you know where I can find the one with the crooked smile?” Well, that didn’t make any sense whatsoever, but Tweek didn’t dare say so. All he could do was struggle to calm down until Damien turned around once more, apparently confused by his silence. “His name is… McCormick. Kenny McCormick.”

_ WHAT DOES HE WANT WITH KENNY!?! _ Unable to help himself, Tweek shrieked, shaking his head hard and yanking on his hair.  _ OH GOD DON’T KILL HIM JESUS!!! _

“Very well,” Damien said, as if this outburst had been an answer. “I shall look elsewhere.” Then he walked towards the back door, opened it, and left, leaving Tweek to an empty backroom once more. Shaking hard in absolute confusion, Tweek stared after him.. Whimpering, he finally just sank down along the wall and curled up there, terrified. He had no idea what had just happened, but what he did know was that someone who wasn’t human was here, and they were coming after Kenny.  _ Jesus, I can’t handle that!! _

In the midst of his imminent mental collapse, however, there was the sound of the bell above the door and a familiar voice saying, “Well, if it isn’t one of my most favoritest people in the whole world, Craigory himself! And without his Tweekers in toe, I’m shocked.” The first thing Tweek thought was that Damien was coming to kill Kenny, but the next thing was that if the sandy-blond was here, then at least if the creature did come back, he and Craig would be able to protect their friend.

“He’s in the back room, McCormick, don’t be a dick about it,” Craig chided in a flat, yet amiable voice. That calmed Tweek. He was glad that Kenny had stopped being quite so frightening. To be honest, his personality hadn’t changed a bit, but with Craig by his side, Tweek felt like he was getting a little better at handling the sandy-blond. Or maybe Kenny was getting a bit better at not poking at him every few seconds. Either way, he was glad that he could be friends with Kenny, instead of hating every time the boy decided to show up.

“Leaving him locked away?” Kenny exclaimed, though Tweek could hear the grin in the boy’s voice. “Tisk Tisk Fucker, how could you?” Chuckling, there was the sound of footsteps, and Tweek could just imagine the boy leaning over the counter and grinning up at Craig mischievously. “Oh my, are those  _ cookies _ I smell? I knew there was a reason for me leaving the house~”

“Those are Tweek’s,” Craig informed Kenny, sounding duely unimpressed. “Not for you.” Well, that wasn’t true; Tweek was more than happy to give the other boy some-  _ OH GOD MY COOKIES ARE GONNA BURN!!! _ Letting out a shriek, Tweek suddenly leaped to his feet and all but threw himself through the door, crashing into the coffee shop like a madman. Only taking a second to look at Kenny, who was indeed leaning on the counter in front of Craig, Tweek raced for the oven, his eyes wild.

“JESUS I FORGOT ABOUT THEM!!!!” Tweek screamed, throwing open the oven and almost knocking Craig off of his stool. Moving out of Tweek’s way, the Noirette hopped over the counter, almost hitting Kenny in the face with a foot, and slid out of the blond’s general vicinity. “Oh god, and I have to put the second tray in,” he worried aloud, frantically attempting to pull the searing hot pan out with his bare hands, only to shriek in pain.

“Come on, Tweeky, don’t hurt yourself,” Kenny clucked. A moment later, Tweek’s oven mitts hit the boy in the back of his head and he yelped, only to turn around and find the sandy-blond giving him a bemused look. Puffing out a breath, Tweek bent down and grabbed the gloves, gratefully sliding them onto his slightly red hands. Noticing Craig already walking back around the counter to get to him, Tweek waved him off, shaking his head.

“Ngh- I’m fine, g-go sit with Kenny or something,” he insisted, pulling out the pan and putting it down on an empty spot of counter. Craig took a second to give him a skeptical raise of his eyebrows, but he acquiesced, walking back around and leaving the blond to his cookies. Glancing over at the other two boys, who’d taken the table closest to the counter, Tweek looked over the different coffee blends and let out a soft sound as he quickly flew his hands over the ingredients, putting together a drink for each of them.

“You know, Tucker, I’m starting to think you live here,” Kenny commented, his words sort of flowing over the shorter boy as he put together a latte for the sandy-blond. His words made Craig snort, which in turn made Tweek smile.

“I’m starting to think so, too,” Craig admitted, though Tweek knew the boy wasn’t saying it like it was a bad thing. Maybe before he might have thought he was, but he knew the Noirette well enough to decipher the soft notes in that flat tone, and it made him feel better. “I even put up stars, I think I’m moving in.”

“Oh boy, well, everyone knows that once Craig brings out his stars, he’s here to stay.” Kenny’s voice was mocking, but Tweek knew that Craig didn’t mind. It was obvious in the way the sandy-blond cackled a moment later. Peeking out from behind the coffee machine, Tweek caught the Noirette’s middle finger, and it made him giggle. “Should I be worried about you putting stars on my ceiling too?”

“Fuck off, no,” Craig said, though he was smiling slightly. Feeling light, Tweek finished making the coffees and scrambled out from behind the counter so he could give the drinks to the two boys. Kenny reached for his greedily while Craig gave the cup a suspicious look and glanced up at Tweek, who nervously grinned. Expression softening once more, Craig reached up a hand and ruffled the blond’s hair while he gave the coffee an experimental sip. “It’s good,” he said softly, his eyes fixing on Tweek’s.

For a moment, Tweek found himself drowning in those deep, calm eyes. Just like the soothing peace of Outer Space, and he shivered slightly, fingers retracting over the surface of the table. The residual fear from Damien’s sudden appearance started to drain away the longer he stood there, and as the tension leaked out of his shoulders, Tweek’s nervous smile solidified into a twitchy grin. Finally breaking the stare, the blond looked up at Kenny, who was entirely engrossed with his coffee, and asked, “D-do you want any cookies?”

Looking up at the word cookies, Kenny exclaimed, “Is that a trick question, Tweekers, because if it is, that’s the cruelest thing you’ve ever done.” When Tweek let out a shriek, Kenny laughed and said, “Please, Tweek, feed me. I am a slave for your cooking. It’s much better than Tucker’s food, after all.”

“Oh fuck off, I only burnt it a little bit,” Craig grumbled, and Tweek giggled at the Noirette’s furrowed brows and sullen glare he leveled at Kenny.

“It was s-soup man,” Tweek reminded Craig, still snickering. The boy had been attempting to make Kenny and Tweek lunch because the three of them had been too lazy to go with Token and Clyde to get pizza. The result had been a very blackened pot and several wailing smoke alarms. At the time, Tweek had been screaming almost louder than the alarms, and Kenny had laughed so hard that soda had come out of his nose. After getting the fire extinguisher and covering the kitchen in white foam, however, everything had been alright. Now, it was just funny; another happy memory that Tweek would be able to keep with him forever.

“To be fair, Craig is probably too tall to be able to see the difference between low heat and high heat,” Kenny joked, much to Craig’s displeasure. Leaving Craig to snipe back at the sandy-blond, Tweek scurried back towards the counter, remembering as he did so that he’d left the oven open. As he closed it quickly and hurried to put cookies on a plate for the other two, Tweek let their continuing conversation flow over him.

“So, did you get Ruby out of the attic?” Craig was asking Kenny conversationally, like the fact that his sister had gotten locked in the poor boy’s attic wasn’t worrying at all. Tweek had been stressed about it, sort of, but he also knew that Kenny was pretty good about helping people, despite sometimes messing with their lives in small ways.

“Yeah, my lil’ sis was up there, too, and Kare-bear is really resourceful,” Kenny reminded Craig, chuckling. “I mean, of course she is, she learned from the best.” Giggling, Tweek finished putting the first batch of cookies on the plate, only saving about five of them in a bag. He’d give it to Kenny later, but he didn’t want the other two to eat them all right away.

“Let me guess, Ruby got them out,” Craig deadpanned, his tone one of flat amusement.

“Eh~ yeah,” Kenny admitted, scratching the back of his head. Hurrying the plate over to the boys, Tweek didn’t stay long enough to chat, already thinking of the next pan of cookies he had to worry about. “But hey, I mean if you were going to get trapped in an attic with someone, wouldn’t you choose me, Tucker?”

“No,” Craig said instantly. Tweek giggled, and Kenny let out a cry of protest. “I’d want Tweek with me,” Craig finished. Those words caused Tweek to let out a strangled sound and turn red, which made Kenny’s feigned outrage turn to mad cackles and Craig’s face go red as well, though that was probably just another one of those chemical reactions that Kenny had mentioned before.

“Well, honestly, Craigory, with that attitude, I wouldn’t want you in my attic, either,” Kenny commented, sticking his nose in the air in mock pretentiousness. “I might just have to steal Tweek from you and bring him with me. We’ll make a pillow fort up there, and I’ll invite Butterfree, and we can start a blonds-trapped-in-attics club, all without you, because someone doesn’t l-Mmph!!” His words were abruptly cut short as Craig shoved a cookie in his mouth, silencing him.

“Finally, peace and quiet,” Craig commented blithely, shooting Tweek a look that made the twitchy blond squeak and wriggle.

Devouring the rest of his cookie, Kenny said, “How could you, Tucker? I thought what we had was special.” Scoffing, the boy added, “You know, he thought he was shutting me up, but really, he was just feeding me cookies.”

“I hope you choke.”

“You see this, Tweekers? Violence Against Kennys, that’s what this is.”

“OH JESUS D-DON’T CHOKE!!!”

And as Kenny laughed and Craig grumbled, any and all thoughts of Damien slipped from Tweek’s mind. Because really, with friends like this, what could he possibly have to worry about?

At that moment, Tweek was entirely happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I just wanna say thank you to Angel for the Kenny inspiration. That character wouldn't be anything close to what he is now without her.
> 
> Also, I want to give a huge hug and thanks to Blaine, who edited this chapter and talked to me while I wrote it. You're super awesome hon, and I'm blessed to have you. Thank you so much~


	5. Descend Into The Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE COMES THAT CHAPTER  
> OH SHIT WATTUP
> 
> Today's chapter is dedicated to Shadowheart, who was so generous as to throw me love. I can't even begin to express how happy that made me dude, so honestly you deserve this chapter and all the story I can throw at you. Thanks to people like you, my future is looking a little brighter.
> 
> To everyone else, I just want to say _holy shit you guys are so awesome!!!!_ I can't believe how much support this story has gotten already and I'm honestly beyond humbled by everything that's happened. Thank you all so so much. I hope that I can continue to meet your expectations and be worth the _love and kindness_ you are putting down for me. You have my eternal gratitude.
> 
> If anyone is wondering why these notes are being changed, just know that it's for the good of all. Probably.
> 
> So with all that being said~
> 
> Enjoy.

Fog.

Nothing but fog.

That was what South Park was on the first day of the new school year. Fog so thick it was like wading through standing rain. You couldn’t avoid it, and it seeped under your clothes, chilling your back and leaving your whole body wracked with shivers, whether you liked it or not. Everything about it was miserable, and yet it was scenic. Beautiful in a way that something truly god-awful always managed to be.

Craig personally, was reflecting that the early morning sun might have actually been mildly pleasant to look at if not for the fact that the fog was worming its way through his jacket and hoodie, soaking him to the skin. Not that he had any love for the sunrise, but it would have been preferable to the dense, white cloud that had fallen over the town. But as it was, he hated fog, he hated being cold and wet, and he hated the first day of school. So he wasn’t doing particularly well.

He would, however, be doing better soon.

“CRAAAAIG!!!!” _Yep, there it is._ As he was crushed in an enthusiastic hug, Craig stoically stood there and let Clyde attempt to squeeze his stomach out of his body without complaint. “How long have you been standing here? I’m pretty sure we could wring you out,” Clyde commented, laughing at the unimpressed expression on Craig’s face that held a genuine fondness. Somewhere deep down, at any rate.

“Waiting for you,” the Noirette responded, disentangling himself from his friend. The other boy was wearing a much more sensible rain jacket, and no doubt wouldn’t be wet and cold all day, but Craig figured those were the breaks. His last jacket had reached an… unfortunate end.

Someone really ought to tell Stan and Cartman not to play with fire and Russian Short Hairs.

“I didn’t take that long!” Clyde complained noisily, letting go of Craig at last and pulling a face. “I’m only, like, _seven_ minutes late, that’s not horrible.” Rolling his eyes, already over it, Craig wondered if Clyde would ever be on time for something. He was either early or late, there was no in between. Then again, he’d been several minutes early, so it felt especially heinous in his opinion, especially because when he’d knocked on the door and texted Clyde, no one had answered.

“We’ll miss Bebe and Token,” Craig said instead, calling on the one power that could actually get the brunet moving without fail. Predictably, Clyde’s eyes widened and he gasped, a tad overdramatically perhaps. Snorting at the horror on his friend’s face, Craig flatly reassured the boy, “We still have time dude, you don’t need to make that face.”

Clutching a dramatic hand to his chest, Clyde exclaimed, “Craig Tucker, how dare you do this to me, I am _horrified_ that you’d try and deliberately hurt me like this. Come on Teacup, back me up here, Craig’s just being-” Stopping suddenly, Clyde flung his head around and stared at Craig like he’d lost his mind. “Where’s Tweek?” he asked, eyes wide and worried.

“At his house…” Craig informed the boy slowly nonplussed. When Clyde stared at him like he’d grown another arm, Craig sighed. “We’re not the same person dude, he’s allowed to do stuff without me you know.”

“Well yeah,” Clyde agreed, still distressed. “But he’s _Tweek.”_

“So?”

Scratching the back of his head, Clyde looked at the ground and mumbled, “I dunno.” After a moment, he said, “Well, let’s get going. Once Toke and Bebs meet us, then we can get Teacup!” Brightening at this, having apparently succeeded in cheering himself up, Clyde confidently marched down the street, leaving Craig to follow.

As he walked however, the Noirette found himself turning Clyde’s words over in his head. He was right, it did feel a little strange to be here _without_ Tweek, but that was just because he was so attached to the boy. Of course he found it strange to not turn and find the blond standing there beside him, but for someone else to notice it? Craig wasn’t sure what he was supposed to think. _Should I even be thinking about it at all?_

Now, Craig had nothing against his and Tweek’s name being connected in everyone's minds, but it did make him wonder. made him think about how close they gotten over the past year. Because, it had been a year now, hadn’t it? It was sort of amazing to think about, when he thought about it, Craig would have said that it felt like a lifetime since he first started talking to Tweek. They'd come so far, been through so much,  a year just felt... Inadequate.

Softly, a smile tugged at his lips, pulling his usual deadpan into a gentle expression. As Tweek’s twitchy grin and soft hair flitted through his mind, Craig found a knot of warmth growing in the pit of his stomach. Honestly, who gave a fuck what people thought? Tweek would always be the most important thing to Craig, and that wasn’t going to change because of some weird problem people had with being unable to separate the two of them.

 _Besides, we’re totally different. Tweek and I are nothing alike._ To be honest, after spending a year with the boy, Craig had discovered that he really did like this little detail. Tweek’s complete and utter uniqueness. Sometimes, when he talked to Token or Clyde, he felt like he was being slowly caged in by the fact that everyone he could actually stand was just like him. Well, that was a bit of a misnomer, Token was a lot more intelligent and analytical than Craig would ever be, and Clyde was more carefree and happier, but on most issues they agreed. They like the same stuff, they thought the same things, they existed in similar ways.

Tweek was different. Actually, Tweek was separate from everyone. There was no mimicking the blond spaz, there was no way that anybody could quite replicate the crazy yet almost terrifyingly reasonable logic that constantly spun itself in the boy’s mind. With those acid green eyes that sparked ideas and passion and life, and words that no matter how stuttered always wove pictures in Craig’s mind. No, the Noirette thought quite firmly, there wasn’t a single human alive who could be like Tweek, and he liked it that way.

So if people wanted to connect them and just assume that where there was one, there would be two, then he wouldn’t stop them. It wasn’t like anything bad could come of it, right?

“BEE!!!”

“BABE!” Glancing up, shaken from his thoughts by the abrupt return of sound, Craig found Bebe running for Clyde, her arms outstretched. Catching the girl, pulling her into a bear hug, Clyde spun Bebe around in a circle joyfully before planting a kiss on her cheek. Looking into the fog from where she’d come from, Craig caught sight of Token, arms crossed, a bemused look on his face.

“You’d think that one of them would eventually kill the other,” Craig commented conversationally, his even voice carrying to his black friend. “I mean, eventually, they’re going to smother each other.”

“Why do you have to be so sarcastic Craig,” Clyde whined, giving the taller boy a pathetic look. “That’s just not fair.” Instead of answering, Craig just flipped his friend off. “Okay, now that’s just rude,” Clyde announced, as if he were actually offended by it. Flicking the side of her boyfriend’s head, Bebe composed herself and gave Craig one of her perfect smiles.

It was honestly impressive to Craig that she and Clyde had such a good relationship. His doubt wasn’t there because he thought Bebe or Clyde didn’t like each other sufficiently, rather, it was born from experience. After all, every relationship he’d watched gestate previously had turned out horribly by his estimation, Stan’s and Wendy’s failed attempts; the perfect example. So to see his two friends actually succeeding to keep their proverbial shit together was kind of impressive.

Tweek, for one, had often espoused how happy it made him that Bebe and Clyde had stayed together. Craig hadn’t forgotten the blond’s previous bouts of jealousy when he’d been the one dating the blond girl, and he wondered if some of that enthusiasm was because the boy was so grateful that the Noirette had broken up with her. But to be honest, Craig didn’t think Tweek was that cynical. He was just genuinely excited for the two of them, and that was something new to Craig. Other than Clyde, he’d never seen someone who was able to be so freely happy for the success of others.

Regardless of why Tweek was happy for them, the blond’s continued support had resulted in Bebe and Tweek becoming excellent friends. Often Craig would find the two of them off on another trip to wherever Bebe had decided to drag Tweek to that day. Whether it was the mall or the book store or just out to the park, when the green-eyed boy wasn’t around the Noirette, he was with Bebe. Which meant that above almost anyone else, Craig trusted the girl not to hurt Tweek.

And she, for all intents and purposes, trusted him not to hurt the blond either.

Linking arms with Clyde, Bebe’s eyes flicked around Craig before she focused on his face. “Are you ready for Fifth Grade?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Unsure how anyone could be quite that enthusiastic on the first day of school, Craig just shrugged. “It’s just another year, right?” _A better year than the last._ With Tweek by his side, that wouldn’t be very hard to accomplish. _Because he makes everything brighter._

Catching Token’s knowing look, Craig cleared his throat and tugged his chullo down over his forehead, even though it dragged waterlogged hair into his eyes. Oblivious to the thoughts running through Craig’s head, Clyde brightly said, “I’m just glad we don’t have Mr. Garrison anymore. I heard that they might be firing him, but I’m not sure. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing him go.”

“He had charm?” Bebe attempted to argue, looking skeptical of the words that were coming out of her own mouth.

“We learned about Game of Thrones for three months,” Craig reminded her.

“And yet Butters was still confused,” Clyde finished, shaking his head. “A damn shame. He went to visit the guy and everything. I guess some things just aren’t to be.” Turning towards Craig once more, the brunet said, “So, are we gonna go get Teacup or not?” At the mention of Tweek, Craig’s mind snapped back to the present.

“Ye _p,”_ he agreed, already starting towards Token. “Tweek’s probably already waiting.” _Wouldn’t want him to freak out because we’re late on the first day._

“I heard the new Principal has already settled in,” the black boy commented casually as the walked. Not reacting, Craig just sort of hummed at the information. He’d almost completely forgotten about the new Principal, despite how often people talked about the event. Apparently there was a big to-do about new policies that were being implemented, but Craig figured that as long as they didn’t hurt him, Tweek, or his friends, then he really didn’t care.

“I’m just excited about the several different new students!” Bebe effused, giggling at the thought. “Wendy and I were actually showing some of the new girls around South Park this week. Kyle and Stan ended up going with us, it was fun~” Abruptly, her face soured and she added, “Until Cartman showed up. He was acting weird.”

“When is he not?” Clyde joked, laughing.

For some reason, the mention of new students reminded Craig of something that Tweek had been talking about a couple weeks back. _He mentioned there being someone new in town, someone he was clearly_ scared of. I wonder if Bebe would know who they are. What had the kids name been…? Fuck, it was on the tip of his tongue. Giving up on remembering, Craig  just bluntly asked, “Are there any new guys?”

After suffering under strange looks from his friends, Craig pulled down the brim of  his chullo and said, “Look, Tweek mentioned something.” _God, am I not allowed to ask?_ No, it was fine, it was just weird feeling because he didn’t have Tweek there. The blond filled in these silences, so Craig didn’t notice them as much; that was all.

Thankfully, the awkwardness in the air cleared up almost instantly. “Oh!” Bebe chirped, grinning. “Well from what I heard, there should be one new boy showing up. I don’t know his name, but he’s from Great Britain, so it should be pretty interesting.” British? Well, that didn’t _sound_ like the boy Tweek had talked about. He’d described fire, and lights, and a terrifying presence, this kid sounded pretty harmless to be honest.

“It’s interesting that so many new people are moving in,” Token mused, his words thoughtful. “I suppose after the zombie invasion, we did have several empty houses, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Especially with the new Principal.” _Yeah, and you could find something interesting in a single banana sitting on a table,_ Craig didn’t say. Without Tweek there, he didn’t really have anyone to make his mildly sarcastic comments to, so he just kept his mouth shut.

“Those zombies were awful,” Clyde agreed fervently, shuddering.

“You were the one that brought them to life babe,” Bebe reminded Clyde, patting his arm.

“Yeah, well, I mean not _on purpose_ on purpose,” he argued, eyebrows pinching together. “Sometimes, they screw up your Taco Bell order, and some days you raise hobos from the dead and turn them into Nazis. It happens.”

As the party got closer to Tweek’s house, Craig abandoned the others so he could cross over the lawns of the blond’s neighbors and wade through the fog to get to the mahogany house he was looking for. The moment his feet hit the walkway, a face peaked through the blinds and a moment later a blur of yellow and gold burst through the front door. “Y-YOU’RE FOUR MINUTES LATE!!” Tweek exclaimed, tripping off of his front steps.

Lunging forward with relative ease, Craig caught the blond and just barely managed to get a hand around the silver thermos that inevitably flew from Tweek’s hands. Setting the boy on his feet, observing the oversized yellow rain jacket, the Noirette snorted and handed Tweek his coffee mug. “Sorry we were late dude,” Craig said easily, reaching for Tweek and patting the top of the rain slicker in leu of actually ruffling the boy’s hair. “Clyde was doing his makeup.”

“Oi, I was _not!”_ Clyde protested hotly. “I’m sorry, but the only time I wear make-up is when Bebe wants to practice something on me.” Giggling at that, Tweek broke out into full on laughing when Clyde turned red as he realized what he’d just said. “Hey, maybe I’m just more in touch with my feelings or something,” Clyde defended, crossing his arms.

“I’m sure you make a beautiful princess Clyde,” Token reassured the boy, only earning them another cry of anguish from the brunet. Beside him, Bebe was caught in a fit of giggles, only just managing to stay straight by keeping ahold of Clyde’snarm. Using the conversation as a quick moment to breath, Craig put an arm around Tweek’s shoulders and drew him into a side hug.

“Are you ready for our first day?” Craig asked the blond, resting his chin against the boy’s forehead. It was funny, just in that last summer, he’d grown to be four-four. Which wasn’t a huge deal, but it did bring the boy up to Craig’s eye level a little bit better, and did help when Tweek was trying to get people to take him seriously. Personally, Craig thought it looked good on the boy. He’d always look adorable, no matter what size, so really where were the issues?

“Y-yeah,” Tweek breathed excitedly, shivering. “Jesus, w-we both have the same teacher, right?? Kyle said that her name is Mrs. Choksondik, that can’t be real, right? Who would have a -ngh- last name like that?!” Shrugging, Craig let go of the boy and just caught his hand instead. At first Tweek stiffened, probably because Craig’s hands were freezing cold, but then he relaxed and as a result, so did the Noirette.

“This is South Park dude,” Craig reminded him, gently tugging him towards the others, making sure he didn’t accidentally pull the boy over in the process. “Anything could happen. We’ve seen everything here.” Tweek twitched, but he nodded quickly, and the taller boy decided to accept this as good enough. “Come on, it’s going to be fine.”

“Teacup!” Clyde exclaimed the moment they were back on the sidewalk. “Back me up here, I can still look manly with makeup, right?” When Tweek let out a screech, Clyde made a disgruntled noise and insisted, “Come on, I’m doing it to help Bebe, it’s not a bad thing!”

Dropping his thermos, which Craig had to stoop to catch, Tweek yelped, “Oh God! W-why would I know anything about make-up? I’m n-not a girl!” To which Clyde choked and Craig snorted. Clearly confused as to _why_ his answer had been funny, Tweek let out a distressed groan and pulled at his raincoat, no doubt trying to get at the hair underneath.

“Didn’t you dress up as a girl that one time?” Token asked Tweek, tilting his head to the side and regarding him curiously. “That would make you the expert here, right?”

That provoked Craig’s attention, and he struggled to keep his eyes from dancing mischievously as he regarded the blond. “Oh, when did this happen?” The idea of Tweek in a dress wasn’t so much easy to picture as it was downright hilarious to attempt. How the same boy who had beaten Craig up not once, but _twice,_ could wear a dress and makeup was honestly unbelievable to him. But apparently, it had happened, because Tweek instantly turned bright red and slapped a hand over his face.

“IT WAS TO B-BREAK INTO THE ABORTION CLINIC SO THAT THE GIRLS W-WOULD HELP USATTACKCLYDEJESUS!!!” Tweek screeched, much to the general amusement of everyone gathered. When Tweek let out a cry of anger and pulled past them, heading down the sidewalk in an attempt to escape his embarrassment, Craig pulled his expression back into a deadpan and quickly walked after him.

“Dude, don’t worry,” Craig said, catching up to the blond and putting a hand on his head, waiting for the jerky shudders to subside. Softly, so the others wouldn’t hear, Craig admitted, “Ruby and Karen have made me put on dresses before so they could play tea-party with me. At least you were saving the world, right?”

Shivering subsiding, Tweek mumbled, “Y-you don’t think I’m girly, right?” Snorting gently, Craig pushed the blond’s thermos back into his hands and caught his gaze, holding it steadily.

“Of course not,” he told the blond stoically, noticing as he did so that the fog around them did nothing to diminish the sparkle in Tweek’s eyes. _Maybe that’s why he can’t sleep, because someone dropped a bunch of glitter in his eyes and he’s still trying to get it out._ Logically that wasn’t true, but the thought still flitted through his brain before being dismissed by his higher functions. “Now come on, let’s get to school.”

Giving one last shiver, Tweek nodded rapidly before catching Craig’s hand again and starting back down the sidewalk. Comfortable with this, Craig followed along beside the blond, letting him set the pace. Interestingly enough, or perhaps obviously, their paces matched more closely than before, and the walk was more comfortable than it might have been a year ago. It helped that Tweek had mellowed ever so slightly. Not enough to make him _not_ a complete mess, but he crossed the street without screaming, and that was progress.

By the time they’d reached the school, the fog had lifted slightly and Craig could see the other kids all streaming in from Summer break. There were all the old faces, and a few new ones as the younger grades were once again filled up with the little children of the town. As they got there, Craig noticed a group of Asian girls standing on the steps with Wendy, and put the dots together when Bebe dragged Clyde over to them, waving excitedly. _Must be the new kids. Huh._

As Tweek and he passed them with Token trailing along behind, the girls stared at he and Tweek like they were some sort of exhibit before all beginning to whisper to each other excitedly. Wendy and Bebe both seemed lost at this point, and Craig furrowed his brows in suspicion at the sight. If it was making Bebe confused, then he probably wouldn’t understand it either, so he didn’t ask, but that didn’t mean he had to be okay with the way one of the girls pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the two of them.

Frustrated, but only mildly, Craig firmly pulled Tweek against his side, using them entering the bustling school as an excuse to keep him as close as was possible. _Weird._ His general sense of unease only grew once he noticed that while the place was crowded, everyone seemed oddly… quiet. _First day of school,_ he decided, ignoring them. Instead, he just led Tweek towards their lockers. The blond had clearly caught on to whatever was swirling around the school, but he didn’t say anything about it, so Craig didn’t ask. They’d figure it out eventually.

As they passed Cartman, Stan, and Kyle, Craig noticed the worried looks they were exchanging, and he felt another lump of foreboding fall through his stomach. It was never good when the three least self-aware and most egotistical kids of this entire school were worried. Usually, it meant something horrible was going to happen. _No, I’m not going to think like that, this is the first day of school, we’re going to be_ fine.

Like the universe was bent on proving him wrong, there was a crackle as the PA came on and Mr. Mackey’s voice said, _“Would Eric please come to the principal’s office? M’kay, that’s Eric Cartman to the Principal’s office. Right now.”_ Watching as the fat boy’s eyes widened and he turned towards the direction of the office like a lamb to the slaughter, Craig caught Stan’s eye and tilted his head.

In return, Stan furrowed his brows and shook his head, like telling Craig not to ask.

_What the hell is going on?_

Turning a corner, Craig almost ran into Jimmy, who had an unusually serious look in his eyes, despite his permanent smile. “Ah, just the p-p-p-p-people I was l-looking for,” the boy said, his smiling growing even bigger. Tweek retuned it, however nervously, but Craig just stared at his friend.

“What’s up?” he asked easily, because something was clearly going on. “Everyone’s quiet, what-”

“Ah, it’s b-b-b-best not to ask,” Jimmy said, waving a crutch dismissively. “It’ll s-sort itse-e- It’ll sort itsel-l-l- Things eventually will be resolved.”

“Rrr- Is it the n-new principal?” Tweek asked fearfully, his fingers tightening around Craig’s hand, almost like he was trying to strangle it. Wondering the same thing, but not about to ask, Craig pulled Tweek’s rain jacket’s hood down and ruffled his hair, calming the boy before he started to panic.

Jimmy, unfortunately, didn’t help matters by saying, “Y-you know how it is C-C-Craig, sometimes things ch-chaaa- Things don’t stay the same. Thankfully, it doesn’t have anything to do with you and T-Tweek here just yet.”

“Yet!” Tweek yelped, muffling the word by yanking down Craig’s damp sleeve just in time to stifle it. “Oh god, w-when?!”

The boy before them gave them a critical eye. “I d-don’t know yet.” Suddenly brightening, he announced, “B-b-but that’s a story for another day, I hope y-y-you get to class in one p-piece, Gentlemen.” Then he was off again, clicking down the hallway as if on a mission.

“What do you -ghn- think he means?” Tweek asked, eyes wide with fear.

Taking a deep breath, Craig said, “Honestly, I don’t know, but…” Eyes traveling down to Tweek, he pulled a slight smile onto his face. “It’s going to be okay.”

Tweek shivered, but nodded. To Craig, that was plenty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my wrist hurts. But I wrote most of this with Voice to text, so it's not that bad anymore. Don't worry, I'm being careful ;;^^ I don't want to hurt myself.
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you to Blaine for the help getting me started on this chapter, you are absolutely wonderful~
> 
> Ta-ta for now!


	6. Thunderhead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE WORK HERE'S A SHORT CHAPTER GOODBYE.
> 
> Enjoy.

Mrs. Choksondik was quite possibly the most frightening thing that Tweek had ever set eyes on, and he’d almost been anally probed by aliens.

With sunken eyes and a chest that hung down past her waist, the woman was as repulsive to look at as it seemed possible to be. Tweek had always believed that girls in general were rather strange, but this teacher took the cake and probably had eaten the entire thing too. For the first day of fifth grade, the blond had already decided that this wasn’t as nice as he’d hoped for.

His one saving grace was the fact that Craig had sat next to him, entirely ignoring the teacher’s seating schedule in favor of physically moving his desk closer to Tweek’s and taking up root there. Already the blond had been on the verge of a panic attack after Jimmy’s frightening warning, but after meeting the teacher, he’d been shaking and sputtering. Worse, she’d been glaring at him, not yet desensitized to his tics.

But then Craig’s leg had pressed up against his and their desks had clunked together, almost instantly calming him down.

Now, of course, came the bad part.

“Young man this is  _ Fifth Grade _ and you need to grow up!” the woman was raving, her sagging boobs waving about terrifyingly. Trembling in his seat, Tweek fought not to scream, but found his control quickly slipping. Her eyes kept drifting for some reason, making her look deranged. “You might have been able to get away with this in your last class, but I won’t put up with it!”

Beside him, Craig flipped her off easily. “Put that away how dare you!!” she screeched, and Tweek let out a whimper before twitching hard enough to rattle both his and Craig’s desks. Naturally, the Noirette reached over and snaked his free arm around Tweek’s waist where Mrs. Choksondik couldn’t see. Even with the boy’s hand pressing into the dip in his hip bone, Tweek couldn’t stop shaking. He didn’t need this, he’d forgotten how stressful the beginning of the school year really was.

“I’m sitting next to Tweek,” Craig repeated for the sixth time, his bland expression unchanging. The rest of the class was just watching in horror, though Tweek was pretty sure that Kenny was snickering subtlly in the back of the room. No one made any move to intervene and it stressed him out.  _ Oh god, I don’t think I can take this, I need to get out of here, what am I doing here?!? _

“In real life you don’t get to decide where you do and don’t sit!” the teacher cried, her eyeballs rolling in different directions with righteous fury. “So you’ll go and sit in the  _ back _ like I’ve already told you to!”

“No,” Craig responded easily, still entirely deadpanned. Unable to help himself, Tweek let another loud whimper escape from his lips.  _ Oh god, why is everything turning out so bad? What’s even going on, I hate her!!! Why is everyone acting like this? Did something happen last night? Was everyone replaced by robots?! OH GOD WHAT IF WE’RE THE ONLY HUMANS LEFT?? _

“CHRIST AUGH OH GOD!!!” Needing to get his head to just shut up, Tweek slammed his forehead into the desk, hardly even registering the pain as it connected once, twice, three times. Vaguely, he realized that Craig’s attention had entirely diverted to him, but he couldn’t feel the fingers in his hair, or even know if they were there. All he could do was bang his head against the fake wood and screech.

“Stop screaming right now! Are you an animal?!” Mrs. Choksondik demanded, her ruler thumping against the board. Slamming his hands over his ears, Tweek screamed and yanked at his hair, wishing it would just stop. He distantly knew that he was going into panic mode, but the rest of him just struggled because he couldn’t  _ breathe, _ there wasn’t enough room. Struggling against the hand on him, the blond tumbled to the floor, feeling it slap against his body. Fighting, Tweek struggled to his feet, disoriented and still terrified.

“Sit down!” the woman demanded, but Tweek couldn’t hear, his brain wouldn’t let him understand. It just registered as garbled white noise. Shaking his head, fighting the cloud, the blond’s body contorted as he tried to get it all out of his head.  _ Oh god, they’re going to kill us, I can’t handle this, I’m going to die!! I don’t want to die!!! I WANT TO STAY WITH CRAIG WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!? _

“Leave him alone,” someone said, but Tweek didn’t know who. All he knew was the walls were closing in and he had to get out. He had to escape before something collapsed on top of him and killed him. And he knew that something was going to collapse because he could  _ feel _ it in the air.  _ I HAVE TO GET OUT I NEED TO GET OUT I WANT OUT I WANT OUT!!!! _

“OHGOD STOP!!!” Door suddenly warping into view, the wood twisting in his distorted vision, Tweek stumbled forward, running full tilt for it. Behind him he heard someone yelling at him to stop, then several someones, but he threw the door open and raced out of the room regardless, running like if he didn’t he’d die. Tweek was pretty convinced that he would, the new teacher would eat him and the other students hated him and wh _ y was this happening?! _

Tearing down the hallway, turning at random, trying to get as far away from that classroom as possible, Tweek only stopped when he ran headlong into a wall and tipped backwards, landing on his spine hard enough that it dragged a moan of pain from his lips. Attempting to get up, the fear still racing through his mind, the blond’s body seized up and he flopped back to the linoleum floor, back spasming agonizingly. Unable to do anything else, Tweek simply rolled to his side and curled into a ball, trying to shut the rest of the world out.  _ Oh God… _

What a way to begin fifth grade…

“Oh bother! My dear sir, is there anything I can do to assist you?” Through the haze over his mind, Tweek lifted his trembling head, blinking sluggish at the blur of tawny and red that had materialized in front of him. “Well that doesn’t look very good, your lip is cracked! How dreadful!” The accent was weird, Tweek didn’t know what it was right away, but then his brain helpfully kicked in.  _ British? Did I teleport to Britain?! Oh god, what if I never see Craig ever again?? _

“Ngh- C-craig,” Tweek whimpered, his bottom lip already wobbling as he stared in confusion at the slowly coallessing red and brown blur.

Whoever it was covered their mouth and squeaked, “Oh no, no my name isn’t Craig. I’m so  _ very _ sorry, but my name is Philip Pirrup! I don’t think I’ve ever met a Craig actually. Is that short for Craigory, or does it work differently over here?” Gradually, Tweek became aware of fair blond hair, and a soft, gentle face. The boy who was standing over him seemed to recognize that his cognitive abilities were returning, and he smiled brightly.

“Wh-who are you?” Tweek stammered, struggling to sit up as his whole world spun. Steadying himself against the wall, groaning and twitching as his spine ached, the blond stared up at the other boy and wondered why he looked so familiar. “Jesus, w-where am I?”

“Well, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to the second one, for I’m rather lost myself,” Philip admitted, before brightening again. “But I’ve already told you my name! It’s Philip, but you’re welcome to call me Pip! Cheer up chap, it’ll be alright, I’m sure things will stop spinning soon.”  _ Pip.  _ The name wasn’t familiar in the slightest, but now that Tweek could see, he realized that they were still in his school, and everything looked as unremarkable and bland as ever. Focusing back on the boy in front of him, Tweek struggled to place the face and failed miserably.

“Rrrr- My head hurts,” he mumbled, rubbing the spot on his forehead that had collided with the wall with shaking fingers. Teeth clacking together, he managed, “I’m T-Tweek.”  _ Oh god, I’m all alone and I don’t know who this is and everything hurts.  _ He was about to curl up and just give up once more when a familiar pattern of footsteps made themselves known to him. Eyes widening, the blond lurched forward, startling Pip. “CRAIG!!”

“Tweek!” Vision becoming eclipsed by the tall, solid figure of Craig, Tweek felt some of the fear drain away. Now that he wasn’t in the classroom, Craig’s presence did exactly what it was supposed to in calming him down, removing the stress that had been shifting violently through him. Reaching an arm forward for the boy, Tweek found himself being scooped up and protected by the Noirette’s strong embrace.

Whimpering, Tweek just melted into those warm arms and let his eyes flutter closed, inhaling that comforting scent that seemed to fill his mind for unknown reasons. Thankfully, the taller boy let him, simply dragging a hand through his hair, calming him down.  _ It’s okay, _ Tweek thought, the words muffled even to his mind.  _ It’s okay, Craig’s here. Fifth grade doesn’t matter, all that matters is Craig. _

“Oh jolly good! This is Craigory! It’s wonderful to meet you sir, I was just talking to Tweek and he seemed very set on finding you.” At the return of that voice, Tweek surfaced and pushed away from Craig just enough so he could peak out at Pip, who was smiling from ear to ear. “South Park seems like such a wonderful place, so caring and kind.”

“You’ve never been to South Park,” Craig stated flatly, his head resting on the top of Tweek’s head, causing him to let out a soft squeak. Not really bothering to fight him off, because honestly the feeling of Craig surrounding him now that he’d calmed down slightly was immeasurably comfortable, Tweek stared up at Pip with a confused expression. No amount of okay people in South Park could make it a nice place.

“Well, I am living here now!” Pip exclaimed, happily sitting down on the floor next to them so they could see eye to eye. There was something about him, about that brown hat and red coat that kept snagging in Tweek’s mind, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. “I expect I’ll find it to be lovely~ You have such interesting culture, I’ve never been to America before.”

Craig snorted. “Good luck.”

“Thank you!” Pip said, entirely earnest. Shivering, Tweek pulled away from Craig a little more and looked around, wondering if anyone was going to come looking for them. The only thing he noticed were the Asian girls from before pressing themselves up against the window of the door beside them. It was a little nerve wracking, but he figured that they weren’t hurting him so he’d be fine for now. 

“Y-you said you were lost,” Tweek mumbled, keeping his fingers clenched in the front of Craig’s hoodie, notting as he did so that it had dried since their foggy walk to school. “What were you looking for?” At his question, Pip’s attention turned back to him, and Tweek wondered if he had any other face but sweet and pure.

“Oh yes indeed I did, for indeed I am.” Eyebrows furrowing slightly, the boy admitted, “I was trying to find my class, but I’m afraid I got rather lost, and now I don’t know where I’m supposed to go. I’ve never been to a place like this, I feel like I’m going in circles!” Taking pity on the boy almost instantly, knowing how bad getting lost stressed him out, Tweek nibbled on his bottom lip.

“What grade are you in?” Craig asked, fingers still carding through Tweek’s hair. The blond had to wonder if the boy even registered he was doing it anymore, or if it was just an instinctive thing. He wasn’t sure which idea made him happier, either way, it meant that Craig cared, and that made Tweek’s chest warm.

“I’m going into fifth grade,” Pip announced proudly, tilting his head slightly. “It should be jolly good fun, shalln’t it?” Blinking and twitching, still unable to quite interpret the boy’s words due to the accent and the weird patterns of his speech, Tweek shrugged and made a sound. Craig just stared at the boy, no doubt unable to understand how fun and fifth grade fit into the same thought.

“I g-guess,” Tweek finally said dubiously. Staring at the boy, wishing that he’d fall into place, the blond suddenly had a flash of memory. Fire, sulfur, and a glittering rock showing an image of one person. Eyes widening, Tweek let out a shriek as he realized that this kid was the same one that Damien had been looking for before he’d decided to try and find Kenny. Shivering, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say, Tweek looked up at Craig, who looked down at him with furrowed brows.

“Is there something wrong?” Pip asked, genuine concern in his tone.

Flinging his head down so he could stare at the boy, Tweek blurted out, “Ghn- T-THERE’S A DEMON LOOKING FOR YOU!!” Because, what else was he supposed to call Damien. He clearly hadn’t been human, not with eyes like those and magic stones that showed things that weren’t really there. “H-HE WANTS TO FIND YOU AND JESUS I D-DON’T KNOW WHY!!”

Instead of looking frightened or confused as most people would have, Pip just gave Tweek a soft smile. “Well, I hope he didn’t get lost, I end up bloody knackered when I have to look for someone for a long time.” Face lighting up, he asked, “Are you sure he was a demon? I don’t think that a demon would very much care about me.”

“N-no, he was a demon,” Tweek insisted, shivering. Silently, Craig’s arms tightened around him again and the blond let that warmth blot out the fear still in his blood. “Aren’t you worried?” he asked, unable to help himself.

“No, not really,” Pip said brightly. “I mean, who knows, he could be a nice gentleman. I bet you anything he’ll be a real good sport about the whole thing.” Shaking his head in abject bafflement, Tweek pressed his forehead back against Craig’s chest and took deep breaths, still calming down.

Quietly, as the thought occurred to him, Tweek asked, “D-did you get in trouble or something man? Ngh- th-the teacher was really upset.” Remembering Mrs. Choksondik’s face, the blond shuddered and shook his head violently. “Jesus, I sh-shouldn’t have panicked like that, but she was terrifying!!”

“Oh no, did something bad happen?” Pip asked, peering at Tweek worriedly.

“The teacher’s a bitch,” Craig answered easily, not batting an eye. “They all are.” Fingers going back to stroking Tweek’s hair, the Noirette said flatly, “I’ll be fine, she just yelled at me, but she didn’t even threaten detention dude. Fuck her, she’ll shut up eventually.” Shivering, hoping Craig was right, Tweek swallowed his fear and finally settled down.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt f-for me,” Tweek explained, before stubbornly struggling up, shifting off of Craig’s lap. Looking around, the blond asked, “Ngh- do you know what teacher you have Pip?”

“No, they just said to go to the fifth grade class,” he explained, his face as bright as ever. Weighing his options, Tweek glanced at Craig, who shifted to his feet and helped the blond up. Waiting for Pip to get up, the shorter boy jerked his head in the direction of the classroom and made an involuntary noise before making up his mind.

“Come to our class,” Tweek told the boy, glancing up at Craig for confirmation. When the Noirette raised an eyebrow and shrugged, the blond decided to just go with it. “There are only t-two classes, so you’re probably in ours because ours is s-smaller.” Catching Craig’s hand for security, Tweek fixed his eyes on Pip and said, “Ngh- if you want, you can follow us.”

“That would be splendid Gentlemen!” Pip burst, grinning from ear to ear. Slightly taken aback by the enthusiasm, Tweek tightened his hold on Craig’s hand and let the Noirette lead him back towards the classroom.

“S-so does anyone know why everything is so tense?” Tweek asked Craig, keeping his voice low as if it were actually an important matter, whether Pip heard or not. “Jesus dude, it’s r-really scary, I don’t like it.”

“It’s the new principal,” Craig told Tweek, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Despite this, Tweek could just picture the calm, even look in those deep blue eyes, like there was nothing to worry about. “They’re calling him PC Principal, he just called Kyle to the office while I was still in class.”

“Jesus, w-what could Kyle have done?” Tweek asked, trying to imagine the fiery redhead  _ actually _ committing a crime bad enough that it required a trip to the office. “He never does  _ anything.” _ Which wasn’t strictly true but okay, it was  _ Kyle. _ He kept coming back to that fact and finding it an immutable barrier.

“I dunno dude,” Craig admitted, shrugging again. Glancing behind them, Tweek found Pip trailing behind them happily, completely unconcerned with the rest of the world.  _ How must his life have been before, that he can’t even think about things being bad in any way? _ Or maybe there was something horrible hiding behind that smile, how was Tweek supposed to know.

“W-well what did Cartman get called to the principal for?!” Tweek demanded, tugging on Craig’s arm as thought that would produce more conclusive answers. For some reason, his question made Craig snort.

“He called Heidi Turner Clitty Litter.” For some reason, the insult was so ridiculous that Tweek found himself giggling helplessly. Even though he knew that there was something serious going on if everyone was acting so scared, he couldn’t help but find it funny if Cartman suffered for it. “I know dude,” Craig agreed, nodding wisely. “PC Principal seems crazy, but I dunno, he might be okay.”

“Or h-he might be terrible,” Tweek pointed out.

“That too.”

“I think that  _ everyone _ deserves a fair and honest chance though,” Pip interjected brightly. Turning to look at him suspiciously, Craig stopped, causing Tweek to run into him. Obviously reading their pausing as confusion, Pip said, “Well, don’t you?”

“No,” Craig said. “That’s not how things work around here.”

“Yeah,” Tweek found himself agreeing. “Grrr- this is South Park.”

“You keep saying that,” Pip pointed out, finally managing a nervous look. “What’s it supposed to mean.”

Thinking through his whole life in the crazy town, Tweek glanced up at Craig and exchanged silent words with the boy before looking back at Pip. Flatly, Craig settled on saying, “You’ll find out soon.”

And then they turned around and continued towards the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Violently hugs everyone before running like a mad-que*


	7. Strike Me Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter is dedicated to the one and only InfamousChocoholic, who is very wonderful and kind, and who am eternally grateful to. I've seen you in the comments for a long time darling, and I wish I had more time to simply chat. Your continued support, commentary, and now help in this has been nothing but a blessing, and I hope that I can get to know you a little better. You always brighten my day, so thank you. 
> 
> In other news, I despise how this story just keeps getting away from me. Like heck dude, I'm the author, I should have some control over what the fuck is going on! Nope, the plot just sort of does what it wants.
> 
> SO YEAH!
> 
> Enjoy.

“You know Craig, I’m starting to wonder if you just collect blonds.” Turning to look at Token, Craig raised a suspicious eyebrow, only to get an entirely bland look. “What are you at now, four?”

Slowly, the Noirette turned to look at their lunch table. Bebe, Kenny, Tweek and yes, Pip, were all sitting there in a row. Currently, Bebe was squealing over Pip and Kenny was trying to convince Tweek to try on Bebe’s low heels because  _ I mean come on Tweekers, you’re the same foot size~ _ Unimpressed, Craig glanced back at Token.

“Five, Clyde’s an honorary dumb blond,” Craig quipped.

“Hey!” Clyde protested.

Somehow, since bringing Pip to class, their group had sort of… absorbed him. It was probably a good thing, in general, he seemed too pure for the wolves that were the other kids in their grade. Besides, both Kenny and Tweek had  _ insisted _ that they keep him around, so Craig wasn’t going to argue. But it was kind of making him wonder if they were just going to turn into a shelter for blonds who had no fucking clue what they were doing and Bebe, who knew exactly what she was doing.

“Has Kyle come back from the Principal’s office?” Bebe asked, leaning back against Clyde as she did so, apparently finished with messing with Pip’s hair. The British boy was at that moment eating cafeteria food and grinning happily, like he couldn’t wish for anything better, which was probably better than him wandering around, Craig figured.

“Nah, haven’t seen him,” Kenny commented, hopping up so he could sit on the table top, having finally given up on getting Tweek to change shoewear. Using this as an opportunity, Craig hooked an arm around Tweek’s waist and pulled him closer, prompting the boy to let out a squeak.  _ I don’t collect blonds, the only one I want around is Tweek, _ Craig thought as he caught Token’s contemplative stare.  _ Fuck off Token. _

Instead of saying that, he flipped the black boy off. Unfortunately, his attention had already shifted to the conversation taking place. “His father got called in as well,” Token observed. From beside him, Tweek let out a whimper and tugged at Craig’s jacket, his face screwing up in something like fear and yet irritation. “I saw him waiting by the Principal’s office earlier.”

“But what d-did he do??” Tweek asked, shivering against Craig. “Jesus, I hate Cartman, b-but he’s done way worse than just call someone a name! Why is he getting detention for it!? What’s going on?” Though Craig personally didn’t give a shit what happened to Cartman or Kyle, he sort of appreciated what Tweek was saying. If they were getting called into the office for small things, who was to say that the blond wouldn’t be called in for his habit of screaming, or Craig for his constant disrespect of teachers. He didn’t really  _ care _ persay, but he didn’t want Tweek to suffer for stupid shit.

Eyes glittering, Kenny leaned back and said, “He said that Caitlyn Jenner isn’t a hero, for whatever that’s worth.” Craig blinked at that. It took him a moment to place the name, but then he remembered a rant his father had gone on several weeks ago, and his brows furrowed. “It’s a rough world out there for people who don’t agree.”

“I don’t think he meant it to hurt anyone,” Bebe started, looking genuinely concerned. “Honestly, I don’t care about celebrities that much. I’m glad that Ms. Jenner is able to live her life how she wants, but I don’t think it affects us…?” Her words trailed off as Token gave her a warning shake of his head. “What?” she asked, confused.

“You need to be careful what you say Bee,” Clyde told her softly, his expression becoming guarded. “If they’d call  _ Kyle _ in on something like that, who knows what they’d do to us.” He had a point, and even Craig had to concede that things weren’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped.  _ Maybe I should be more careful about who I’m flipping off. _ The thought soured his mood almost instantly.

Kenny shook his head and stared at the ceiling. “I dunno about you guys, but I honestly don’t give a shit. They can’t do anything to me that’s actually going to matter.” Grinning, the boy lifted a hand in greeting, his attention on someone across the room. Turning, Craig caught sight of Cartman, Stan, and Butters. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” the Sandy-blond announced, swinging his legs off of the table and onto the floor. “I have places to be. People to see and Butterflies to talk to.”

The moment he was gone, Pip said, “He seems like a decent fellow. I don’t know what you’re talking about Craigory, people here seem to be wonderful.”

“It’s Craig,” the Noirette mumbled, mostly just to Tweek, who giggled slightly, despite the worry still clouding his eyes. Craig wasn’t sure when he’d gotten so worried about Kyle of all people, but he decided that it was alright. As long as the redhead didn’t hurt the boy, he wouldn't raise issue. Tweek, after all, was his own person, and could care about whoever he wanted. That’s what he told himself, at any rate.

“Oh no, Pip, don’t trust Kenny any further than you can throw him,” Clyde advised, running a hand through Bebe’s hair, who was obviously trying not to think about the Principal situation and doing very badly at it. “Behind that smile is a web of lies, trust me.”

“At least he makes a pretty princess,” Craig commented, with vague sarcasm hiding in his flat tone. Another laugh emanated from Tweek, which made the Noirette’s heart warm irrationally. “But yeah, he’s generally an asshole.”

“N-no he’s not!” Tweek squeaked, wiggling. “He’s just a little -rrr- weird sometimes. And crazy. And terrifying…” Screwing up his face, the blond admitted, “Actually, he’s k-kind of an asshole. But he’s a lot better than most people here, s-so that doesn’t matter.”

“You all keep talking about this place like it’s horrible,” Pip said, sounding crestfallen. “Whatever did this town do to make you dislike it so much?” His question was met with a series of looks that everyone else at the table exchanged with each other, before Token chose to break the silence.

“Insanity tends to attract more insanity,” he explained, picking at his stuffed olives. “South Park has never been anything but crazy, so you can imagine how it’s turned out for us.” When Pip only gave them a confused look, Token shook his head and looked back at his food. “You have a demon after you Pip, your life is not going to be normal any longer.”

The British boy looked like he wanted to protest, but he fell silent instead.

Obviously feeling bad for him, Bebe’s eyes fluttered open and she softly said, “Pip, South Park can be really nice, but only certain parts of it. Other people can be really really mean. You just need to know the difference.”

“The lot of you seem rather nice,” Pip said tentatively.

Clyde gave a lopsided grin. “Oh, we are!”

“Except when you try and destroy the world,” Craig said, fixing Clyde with a flat look.

“JESUS DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!!!” 

As Clyde and Bebe continued trying to reassure Pip, Craig glanced up at the clock and noted the fact that lunch was almost over. Glancing down at Tweek, who was curled up against him as usual, Craig considered the state of the caffetteria. Typically, he didn’t give a shit, but right now the tension was as thick as the fog had been that morning. And it was having an effect he knew, just from the already twice refilled thermos of coffee and the fact that the Noirette’s new pencils already had teeth marks, this wasn’t something they’d be able to ignore, no matter how much they wanted to. Giving the clock another quick look, Craig poked Tweek in the side, provoking a soft squeak.

“Let’s go to class,” Craig said softly, planting his chin in the boy’s feather-soft hair and letting out a breath that sent it fluttering. “We only have a few minutes left anyway.”

Glancing at their friends, Tweek spent a moment in clear internal conflict before mumbling, “Y-yeah, I guess.” Slipping off of the bench, Craig waited for the blond to gather his stuff before catching the boy’s hand in his own. When the others looked up at them, Tweek jerked his head around and quickly pushed out, “W-we’re just going to the classroom!”

Clyde grinned. “Okay, see you later Teacup.” Tweek’s lips twitched up into a smile at that, and Craig was silently thankful for his oldest friend.  _ Tweek needs more people than just me after all, he needed friends who were there for him, and now he has them.  _ “You still up to hanging out after school?”

Shooting a fleeting look up at Craig, Tweek shivered and squeaked, “God -gha!- Maybe??” Noticing the stress lines on the boy’s face, Craig lifted a hand and brushed it through Tweek’s hair before just pulling the blond’s head against his chest.

“We can figure it out after school,” Craig informed his friends as he felt Tweek’s body relax against his. Flipping them all off amiably, he commented, “Later assholes.” Remembering Pip was there, Craig awkwardly corrected, “Er… And Pip.”

“Cheerio~” Pip brightly called, waving a hand.

“Try to avoid the new Principal,” Token advised, engrossed in his book, whose only lettering simply read  _ 1984. _ “I’ll see you two later.”

Pulling Tweek away, not exactly wanting the blond to get any more ideas about the new principal into his head, Craig lead them both out of the caffetteria. The moment they left the room, Tweek pulled ahead, his quick footsteps echoing on the tile. Keeping a firm hold on his hand, out of habit more than anything, Craig followed calmly, his eyes trained on the hallways around them. With all of the suspicion that seemed to be proliferating the school, it reminded the Noirette of the old Fantasy game, the near constant watchfulness, just in case. He couldn’t say that he was crazy about the return of that hunted feeling.

“Do you think that we’re -ghn- going to get called to the Principal’s office?” Tweek asked abruptly, his voice cutting through the silence like a falling tree. As it crashed to the ground, Craig shook himself out of his own head and quickened his pace just enough so that he could exchange holding hands with the boy for keeping a loose, comforting arm around his shoulders.

Part of him considered lying, or at least bending the truth so Tweek didn’t freak out, but Craig knew it would only be postponing the inevitable. “Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue, dude,” admitted the Noirette, continuing to move his eyes over their surroundings like that was going to help anything. “From what I’ve been hearing, PC Principal seems batshit crazy.”

“D-don’t say things like that!” Tweek yelped, shuddering under Craig’s arm. “W-what if he hears you?? Jesus, w-what if we get in trouble, I don’t want you to get in trouble man!!”  _ It’s probably already too late for that, _ Craig thought, declining to say it aloud.  While his attitude that morning had been pretty flippant about the whole thing, the dread was starting to get to him too.

“If we get in trouble, then we do,” Craig said easily, though he knew those weren’t the most soothing words he could have said. Catching Tweek’s gaze, the Noirette stared into the boy’s wide green eyes for a moment before squeezing his shoulder ever so slightly. “I’m not going to let them hurt you dude, no matter what.”

Nodding shakily, the boy scrambled at the lid of his thermos before draining half of the damn thing in one go.  _  Fuck, he’s scared.  _ I’m _ affected, what the hell is going on, how are we going to survive this? _ So much for having a good school year. It almost made him miss Principal Victoria.

But they were at their classroom, and Craig was ready to push it to the back of his mind. Opening the door for Tweek, Craig stepped into the dim interior of the room and looked around. At the foreign language of curly letters that was stretched over the top of the board, and the haphazard mess they other students had left the room after escaping to lunch. Watching Tweek as he wandered to their desks, which were, miraculously, still pushed together, Craig found himself speaking.

“You know, it’s just fifth grade.” When Tweek turned around, his eyes wide, the Noirette pulled his chullo down over his forehead and attempted to poke the stray locks of hair under the brim of his hat. “I mean, it’s not everything. It’s not the end of the world. They can put us in detention and stuff, but this year isn’t going to be horrible. Not the whole thing. They can’t-” Huffing as the words he needed failed to come to his tongue, Craig gave the blond a long look and finally finished, “They can’t change the important things.”

“Ngh- b-but what if everything gets ruined??” Tweek asked, his fingers reaching up so he could tangle them in his hair. “They could suspend us. Jesus, w-what if they do!?  Or expel us!! We haven’t even  _ seen _ the new principal man! But he’s got even Cartman scared, h-how can you say that this  _ isn’t _ important??”

Realizing that his words hadn’t been clear enough, Craig took a step into the quiet room and tried to pour the weird, slightly uncomfortable emotions inside of him into his eyes as he intrepidly said, “Look, if they expel you, is Clyde going to stop talking to you?” Tweek shrieked. Frustrated with his own inability to explain, Craig insisted to the frightened blond, “He won’t, okay? Neither will Token, or Bebe, or Kenny. No matter what they do to us, they can’t take away our friends.”

Slowly approaching Tweek, Craig found his throat tightening as he awkwardly deadpanned,  _ “I  _ won’t leave. They can’t do anything to make me stop caring about you Tweek, they just control the circumstances, nothing else.”

“But what if something  _ does _ happen,” Tweek whimpered thinly, trembling. “W-what if they screw something up, or  _ I _ screw something up, and you n-never want to talk to me again!? Oh Christ, I d-don’t think I could handle that!”

Insides crumbling, unsure how he was supposed to help him, Craig stopped in front of the desk Tweek was leaning against and traced his eyes over the boy’s face, silent. As the moment stretched, he found himself moving, even though he couldn’t rationally justify his own actions. Gently reaching across the divide, Craig brushed the tips of his fingers through the downy hair surrounding Tweek’s face before carefully cupping his cheek in his hand. That point of contact was enough to make Craig feel weird, like he simultaneously couldn’t think and was thinking too much.

Shuddering, the blond leaned into the touch, just like he tended to do these days. It wasn’t until that moment that Craig had quite appreciated how vulnerable Tweek looked when he did and noticing it now made his insides tighten.  _ There’s nothing that would make me hate you, or not want to talk to you, _ he thought, unable to say it without sounding like an idiot.  _ You’re the most important thing to me, you’re everything. _

When had Tweek become everything? He’d never really understood the gravity of those words until then.

“Tweek-” he started, his usually flat voice sounding strange, too tender. “You- You  _ can’t _ fuck up.” he wasn’t sure how else to say it, there was probably a better way, but words were failing him as his brain continued to short circuit entirely. “You might not be perfect, but dude, I’m a fucking  _ wreck. _ So it’s okay.”  _ It’s okay. _

And he probably would have said more, had the lights not abruptly flipped on. Momentarily blinded, Craig let out a curse before hearing Kenny wolf-whistle, Butters letting out a delighted laugh, and Pip saying, “Oh this is just so  _ sweet, _ I hope that the rest of South Park is this loving.” Blanching, Craig quickly straightened and pulled away from Tweek, while the blond let out a screech and tumbled backwards, his face bright red. If the heat flooding Craig’s cheeks was any indication, he was probably red as well.  _ Fuck, it’s not like that, _ he wanted to say, but he knew Kenny well enough to know that there was no way to save this.

“If I had  _ known _ that the two of you were having such an important discussion, I would have  _ waited,” _ Kenny crooned, waltzing into the classroom, Butters happily walking beside him. “Oh well, hindsight is usually twenty-twenty.”

“Oh Jesus it w-wasn’t that important!!” Tweek yelped from the floor. Strangely, the words made Craig furrow his brows.  _ I thought that was important. _ Kenny must have caught the look on his face, because his grin froze for a second before becoming almost sympathetic. Irritated at the sandy-blond, mostly for irrational reasons he couldn’t put into words, Craig swiftly moved around the desk and helped Tweek to his feet, even though the boy probably didn’t need him to.

“Aw a- Well, it sure looked important t’me!” Butters observed, glancing over to Pip for confirmation. “Isn’t that right?”

Pip nodded instantly. “Don’t be daft, you clearly were very taken with whatever you were going on about. It looked jolly important to me.”

Tweek’s violent jerk pulled him out of Craig’s grasp. “IT W-WAS NOTHING I D-DIDN’T EVEN CARE ABOUT IT GOD!!” Frustrated with his own brain and the stupid things that kept running through it, Craig ignored the blond’s words entirely.  _ It’s not a big deal, I always calm him down, that’s what I do. I was just imagining things… _ “C-Can we just stop talking about it?!” Tweek demanded, pulling at his hair with a white-knuckled hand.

“Come on Tweeky, don’t be so defensive!” Kenny exclaimed, leaning on Butters shoulder and watching the shorter blond with almost predatory eyes, like he was  _ trying _ to get the boy to admit to something.  _ Why are we still talking about this?  _ Craig clenched his fist beside him, wanting to reach out and touch the violently twitching Tweek but finding a stupidly impassable barrier between them at that moment.  _ Fuck them for interrupting. _

“He’s not being fucking defensive McCormick, leave him alone,” Craig spat through gritted teeth. Fuck, he felt like a mess right now, definitely not the mental state needed to deal with Kenny when he was being especially shitty. “Fuck off.”

“Well that isn’t nice,” Pip said worriedly, furrowing his brows. “You know we were only just coming to find the pair of you because we wanted to know where you’d gone off to! We really didn’t mean to interrupt anything, so you don’t need to pretend that it wasn’t important.” Nodding encouragingly, the boy finished, “No need to spare our feelings.”

Obviously distressed, Tweek jerked his head to the side and exclaimed, “GHA! WOULD YOU JUST S-STOP!”

“Come on Tweek, it’s okay t’talk ‘bout your feelin’s an’ thoughts sometimes!” Butters insisted, obviously trying to calm him down. “Everyone’s gottta.”

Tweek screamed.

Unexpectedly, Kenny nodded sagely. “You’ve hit it right on the nose Buttercup, unfortunately, some people don’t understand things as well as you do.” Glancing back at Craig and Tweek, his expression changing from mischief to something else, the boy sang, “I personally have lots of feelings that I’d like to talk about. For instance, I feel like Mrs. Choksondik and aging had an argument and she lost badly. What do you think Butterfree?”

Craig flipped the boy off, but inside he was thanking Kenny for finally changing the damn topic. He wasn’t sure  _ why _ he felt so awkward, but something in him was definitely unsettled by the whole thing. If Tweek’s shuffling feet and general distress were any indication, he felt even worse than Craig did.  _ Well, at least we can suffer together, _ the Noirette thought miserably, even though it was superficial consolation.

As the conversation continued to move on, Pip animatedly talking about his old teachers and Butters listening enthusiastically, Craig watched as Tweek shot him a quick, upset look before scurrying over to their combined desks and taking a seat. For a moment, he was about to follow him, but then a hand touched his shoulder and Craig turned a glare on Kenny, who didn’t bother to feign fear. 

“Sorry about that Fucker,” he told Craig frankly, his blue eyes absolutely devoid of ulterior motives or the usual swirling mischief that filled them. “I think we’re all a little on edge.” Then he was walking over to Tweek, who didn’t even bother to look up at him.

Standing there in the middle of the room, Craig wondered why in that moment, he felt so utterly exhausted.

“-but this is supposed to be a new leaf, isn’t it? So I’m sure that things are going to go brilliantly!” Pip was exclaiming to Butters, his laugh bright.

“Well gee, I sure hope so,” the bleach blond burbled, rubbing his knuckles together. “We’ve got a lot of not so nice things ‘round here, b-but most people are real nice, y’just need t’get t’know them! And sometimes, people who look like meanies just need a friend or somethin’ t’make ‘em smile.”

“You know it’s given me quite the laugh, everyone keeps telling me that there’s a demon after me, but can you believe that?” Pip asked, grinning like it was funny.

Almost at once, Tweek jerked his head away from whatever soft conversation he and Kenny were having so he could shriek, “It’s n-not funny!!! He w-wanted to kill you!! Ngh- he’s probably going to  _ eat _ you or something s-so don’t laugh!!”

“I’m sure he’s not all that bad,” Butters insisted, though he looked a little dubious. “C’mon, don’tcha know his name or somethin’?”

Letting out a yell through his teeth, Tweek yanked on his hair and yelped, “I already told you, his name is-”

Before Tweek could finish his sentence, the lights of the classroom went off. “OH GOD FUCK!!!” Instantly moving towards Tweek, already predicting his panic, Craig almost stumbled over several desks before finally reaching out and finding the blond’s arm.

“Oh dear,” Pip commented. “Who turned out the lights?”

Before anyone could possibly answer there was a horrific sound, then the room filled with blinding light and the smell of sulfur. Squinting against the light, wrapping an arm around Tweek as if he could shield the boy from whatever was coming, Craig saw a figure standing on the teacher’s desk, one clad in all black.

As the chanting of choirs abruptly filled the air, a clear voice rang out over them. “My name is Damien. Damien Thorn.”

Fiery eyes that glowed and flickered like twin furnaces opened, and the figure pointed a threatening finger straight ahead. It took a moment for Craig to realize who the boy was pointing at, but when he did, suddenly what Tweek had been saying made sense.

“Philip Pirrup, I’ve been searching for you.”

In the silence, Kenny said, “Well, isn’t that just dandy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So today, when I was at school, crawling under a desk in an attempt to retrieve my pencil, this asshole who sits near me decided to use that opportunity to tell me that I, "Always had looked better on my knees." In addition to leaving me royally pissed off, his comment got me thinking. How many other people get comments like that, and should we really just be laughing them off, or you know _talking about them_. Because in my opinion, that shit is really fucking damaging, and people just get away with it. 
> 
> So, dear readers, I'm wondering, do any of you have stories about assholes who've made degrading comments to you? If you don't want to share, don't feel obligated, but I'm curious. Does stuff like that hurt you, or do you just sort of shrug it off.
> 
> Enough of me rambling, you're all awesome and wonderful. Remember that no matter what anyone says about you, they don't determine your worth, you do.
> 
> I have an eight hour shift tomorrow, so I'll see if I can get a chapter finished tonight so that I can post it in the morning. If not, you might end up with another late upload. But we'll see~ until then, tata!


	8. Charged Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to warn you right up front. This chapter is definitely not for the faint of heart. I would like to put this out there that _nothing actually goes anywhere_. You'll know what I'm talking about when I get there, but if you're uncomfortable with borderline assault, you might want to skim the middle section.
> 
> That out of the way, I just want to say that this chapter, even though it's two days late *weeps gently* is dedicated to Katherine. Honestly darling, when I got that message, I cried. You're so fantastic, from your fashion sense to your whip sharp sarcasm and that streak of loyalty that runs a mile deep. I honestly can't say enough. And don't even get me started on you and Mono, I swear to all that is holy the two of you are going to be the death of me in the best way possible. I'm so glad that you think that this story is worth reading and that I'm worth talking to. I swear that I'm going to make every bit of it worth your while. Thank you a million times over for everything that you've done for me.
> 
> Shout out to DankChicken for helping me scrap the first Tweek perspective draft of this chapter and inspire me to write what I did with their own depiction of how this scene went. Once they fix it up and post it, I highly recommend you check it out. It's a lot darker, but it's so so beautiful.
> 
> Thank you to Blaine for betaing! You're beautiful hon~
> 
> As for this chapter...
> 
> Enjoy.

Pip’s day had been going rather well, right up until Damien showed up.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true; he’d been right knackered at that point. All that wandering around and looking for the classroom only to find out that he was in a place worse than hell had him beat. Add to that the demon after him, and all in all, Pip wasn’t as peachy as he’d been that morning. But that could change; he’d been telling himself that repeatedly, his little mantra to keep his smile on his face. There were so many fascinating people around, and so many of them were nice! He was having trouble finding the bad side that everyone kept going on about.

Then a demon had shown up on the teacher’s desk, and he’d seen it pretty clearly.

His first thought had been, despite the fact that everything had gone foggy and rather frightening, the boy who stood on the the desk, wreathed in hellish light, was rather beautiful. But that momentary second of unexplainable thought was gone pretty quickly, and therefore probably didn’t count. Besides, it had been entirely overwhelmed by _fear_ that he’d felt when the demon had spoke his name. Looked at him with those flaming eyes and locked Pip in place as effectively as if he’d been frozen.

Following Kenneth’s words, it was Tweek who made the next move by letting out a screech. “OH JESUS IT’S HIM!!!”

“Who the fuck are you?” Craigory demanded, instantly pulling Tweek to his feet and pushing the blond behind him, like that was going to stop Damien. Pip had no idea who the boy was, other than what the others had informed him of. There was so much power in those movements, however, the predatory way he stared down at them, that the others in the room would have no chance against him.

“I don’t have the time to talk to you,” Damien said to Craigory, dismissively waving a hand, flames trailing in an arc after it. “Philip is my only concern.” Beside him, Leopold made a small sound of fear and edged away from Pip, no doubt terrified of getting caught in the crossfire.

“OH GOD H-HE’S GOING TO SET THE ROOM ON FIRE!!” Tweek yelped as the fire dripped from the demon’s hand, landing on the papers littering the desk. Frantically, the boy tried to pull Craigory away from the front of the class as the little flames started leaping up, throwing the boy into sharp contrast. Pip could only stare at what was revealed, the clothing that looked like a black hole, sucking all the light from the room, the large silver cross against his chest, the black hair pushed back sharply from his face, and always those flaming eyes. It was as if Pip was staring straight into the pits of hell itself.

“You’re going to have to go through me if you want to touch anyone in this fucking room,” Craigory spat, obviously trying to stand up to the boy despite the obvious imbalance of power. Heck, Kenneth noticed it! He must have, because he chose that moment to chuckle mirthlessly.

“Oh, Fucker, you’re adorable sometimes. Don’t you know who you’re talking to?” He asked it like he already knew, and Damien ignored him like he was aware of Kenneth’s knowledge. Pip almost wanted to ask who Damien was, but he couldn’t get his mouth to work right. He could only stare into those burning eyes and wonder if this is what dying was like. _Well, this isn’t good at all._

“You know who ‘e is?” Leopold asked in a high-pitched squeak. He was trembling almost as much as Tweek was, and even in the dark, Pip could see how ashen the boy was. “How’d y’meet someone like ‘im Kenny? I- I really don’t like this…” Pip didn’t like this either, not particularly. But he couldn’t even move, so it wasn’t like he was about to run away either. All he could do was stare up at Damien and try not to let his knees collapse out from under him. _No one’s ever looked at me like that in my life; what am I supposed to say?_

“McCormick, you’d better tell me what the fuck is going on before I hurt one of you,” Craigory growled, taking another step back as the flames started consuming more of the papers on the desk. “Shit, the fire alarm is going to go off.”

“W-WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT THE FIRE ALARM?! AUGH!! THERE’S A DEMON IN HERE!!!” Tweek shrieked, dragging Craigory away. “Ngh- W-what do you want from us?! Why won’t you just leave us alone!?” He was shaking so badly that Craigory had to wrap an arm around his waist to keep him upright. Pip honestly wished he had something to prop him up, but his sheer terror seemed to be working just fine for the time being.

“Did I speak to you, Tweek?” Damien asked, the words darkly threatening. “I could skin you alive; you’d do well to hold your tongue.” From the wall where he was huddled, Leopold started to cry, and Pip wondered if he was about to do the same thing. Because when they’d said a demon was after him, he hadn’t expected it to go like this.

Almost at once, Craigory jerked forward, like he wanted to hurt the demon. “Don’t you fucking touch him, you piece of shit,” the Noirette spat furiously, his usually flat voice going scary. “I don’t give a shit that you’re a demon; I will kick your ass.”

“I am no _demon_ ,” Damien said, like the word was offensive to him.  The fire in his eyes leapt higher, and the flames on the desk started to spread to the trays the teacher had left out. “I am the son of the Devil, the King of Hell himself, and you would do well to respect my father, or suffer my wrath.” Pip struggled to take that information in. The son of _Satan?_ He wanted to simply wilt to the floor.

Kenneth _yawned._ “Oh boy, can we skip the intros, Damien. Dude, cut down on the fire from hell, we’re just not interested.”

“Do not think for a second that I would hesitate to kill you as well, McCormick,” Damien growled, throwing a glare at the lax sandy-blond that was answered with finger-guns and a wink.

“Can- Can we please not go offing anyone?” It took a second for Pip to realize that he’d been the one to speak. As Damien’s head swiveled back to him, Pip felt his insides drop to the floor. _Why, oh, why did I have to open my mouth?_ But the boy kept staring at him so he forced himself to talk even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Erm… I mean, I don’t mean to offend, but can’t we handle this like proper gentlemen?”

The moment he’d said it, Damien’s eyes narrowed and he stared at him intensely, like he was trying to see inside of his very mind. To be honest, Pip wouldn’t have doubted for a second that Damien could read his thoughts, and it terrified him. _I’m going to die, aren’t I?_ “You are exactly as I thought you’d be, Philip,” the Prince of Hell said, his words taking on an entirely new, yet equally terrifying tone.

“Oh, um… Am I?” Pip asked, swallowing hard.

“G-get out of here!” Tweek yelped, breaking through their conversation. “Ngh- This town is f-fucked up enough without you!! We don’t want you; g-get out!!” How he was yelling that at Damien was beyond Pip, who sort of hoped that he’d just die of fright before he was murdered in some gruesome and horrifying way. “You can’t have Pip!!”

“What makes _you_ think that you can stop me?” Before Pip or anyone else for that matter could so much as blink, Damien vanished in a blaze of fire before reappearing on the desk right in front of the petrified Brit. Knees knocking together, Pip whimpered but couldn’t even begin to flee from the presence hovering over him. Up close, Damien was so much more intimidating than he’d been far away. His eyes seemed to _literally_ contain flames, his skin was porcelain to the point of being blinding, and his features were perfect in every way. From the fine curve of his nose to the thick, furrowed brows, to the fine lips, Pip wasn’t sure what he was supposed to even think.

 _Beautiful_ was the only word that flew through his mind. Beautiful and ever so terrifying.

“Don’t you fucking lay a hand on him!” Craigory barked, turning awkwardly so he could keep Tweek behind him. Pip couldn’t pay attention to that though, his entire focus was on the boy hovering over him and the heat that seemed to radiate from his hand as it abruptly lifted and dangled over his face.

“JESUS THE ROOM IS ON FIRE!!” Tweek screamed.

“W-what’s goin’ on?” Leopold blubbered.

“SILENCE!” Damien suddenly snapped, standing up on the desk and sweeping his arms wide. There was a shattering of glass as several windows broke and a crack of fire as two student desks caught fire. “You are all irritatingly pathetic; this is exactly what I feared the mortal world would be.”

“If you don’t like it then fucking leave,” Craigory snapped, though even he was starting to look a little less certain of himself. “Get out and leave Pip here. We don’t want you in South Park, or anywhere for that matter. Just fuck off.”

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you!” Damien thundered, the aura of the fearsome power he wielded radiating off of him in waves. “I am here for one purpose and that is Philip! The rest of you are simply inconveniences that I could deal with quickly if I so chose.”

“Th-then deal with us!” Tweek yelped, standing beside Craigory and balling his fists, despite that fact that he was twitching and shaking worse than Pip had ever seen. “DEAL WITH US -RRR- OR GET OUT!!” Pip could just see Damien’s hands lifting as though in preparation to carry through on that threat, and suddenly he saw a room on fire flash before his eyes and he couldn’t let that happen.

So it was with the last reserves of his courage that he reached up and grabbed for the back of the demonic boy’s shirt. Pulling on it, he yelled, “No, don’t!” When Damien spun to face him, uncontrollable and indignant rage in his eyes, Pip insisted, “Just bloody take me instead; I don’t care what you do, just don’t hurt them. Please. They don’t deserve that.”

Damien stared down at him, his face an impossible mask; then suddenly, Pip felt his whole body become enveloped by heat as the room around him vanished in a blaze of fire and everything went pitch black. For a moment, he thought he was dead, but then his feet slammed against hard floor and his legs simply buckled. Desperately looking around, trying to figure out what was going on, Pip blinked the spots from his eyes just in time to feel, rather than see, someone grab his face between their hands and pull him into a kneeling position.

“I have been waiting to meet you for far too long, Philip.” At the voice of Damien, Pip realized who was holding him up, and instantly he wanted to fall to the ground again. Full body shivers wracked him as those hands grew warmer, just shy of burning his cheeks. _Bloody hell, what is he going to do to me? I didn’t want to die like this!_

“W-why did you want to meet me?” he whimpered, unable to fight the way that Damien stared at him, those fiery eyes burning straight through his very soul. He’d never been faced with something like this; who had? And yet as Damien was pulling him to his feet, Pip didn’t dare argue, because if he did, there was no question as to what his fate would be. He almost wanted to beg for his life, but then he remembered the others, and he knew that he couldn’t.

“Because I have seen your face every day for a year.” Damien’s voice was so dark, and yet it made more shivers race through Pip. “I have stared and wondered who you were, and now I have you here.” The way he said it, Pip could only stare at him in fear as he wondered what Damien was going to do to him. Any number of horrifying things ran through his mind, but he couldn’t move; he was entirely at the whim and will of the demonic presence hovering above him.

“What are you going to do to me?” Pip asked tremulously. As if brought to life by his question, Damien moved. Those almost painfully warm hands shifted over his face, beginning to trace his features in a strange, possessive and invasive, yet almost innocent way that left Pip unable to breathe. All the while, the boy stared at him with those powerful eyes that had him locked in place.

“You are the most beautiful mortal I have ever seen,” Damien said bluntly as he continued to outline Pip’s face with searing fingertips. His thumbs brushed over the Brit’s eyelids, his index fingers dipped over his lips. One finger passed them and invaded his mouth for a moment and the boy tasted charcoal and spice, like what a cigarette might have been. Pip was unbelievably aware of everything that was being done to him, and it made him want to either scream or just pass out. Yet all he could do was shudder and wonder why the Devil’s child would think that this was at all something that he should be doing.

Shivering, Pip breathlessly managed, “Thank you, I think.” What was he supposed to say? There was something about this that was leaving him entirely overcome with more emotions than he knew what to do with. One of those firm, dangerously hot hands shoved Pip’s hat off of his head and was dragged through his hair, raking through it hard enough to pull at it. Head tipping back at the force, Pip could feel the other boy’s free hand dipping down and over his throat, and it pushed another whimper from him.

“What are you?” Damien questioned, his breath too close for comfort. _What am I? I thought I was human._ “Why have I been seeing _you_ of all mortals? Why you?” For a second, Pip could feel Damien’s breath on his neck, then the boy muttered, “I should take you back to hell with me.”

“N-no, I’d rather not,” Pip babbled, his heart fluttering right beneath Damien’s hands. “You know, if it’s all the same to-”

His spine connected with what felt like a metal cabinet as Damien shoved him into it. As a sound of fear and some amount of pain escaped Pip, the demonic boy towered over him and growled, “You are the only thing my stone has shown me since I received it; you have no room to talk Philip Pirrup. I have scoured this town and the surrounding areas looking for you. I am not going to let you get away so easily now that you’ve been found.”

Before Pip could ask what being found entailed, Damien’s hands started moving again, and the boy couldn’t help but yelp in embarrassment as fingers suddenly shoved up under his coat, feeling for his skin with a single minded intensity that he couldn’t keep up with. _I’m only ten, what does he think he’s doing?_ Pip’s mind screamed, but his limbs were far too weak to even consider pushing the boy away.

Yet even while he was scared out of his mind, Pip couldn’t help but consider how twistedly innocent those movements seemed to be. Like Damien didn’t know what he was doing, but was simply trying to experience things in the only way he knew how. Maybe that was just his brain trying to invent excuses for the boy in an attempt to negate what was happening to him, but it was clear that Damien wasn’t trying to hurt him.

“You’re mine,” the demonic boy growled, his eyes glowing with bright, intense heat. _No, I’m not,_ the boy thought vaguely, but he was having a hard time backing up that claim. Pip could only close his eyes and whimper as a hand closed over his wrist and pulled it up. Fingers stroked over his palm, revealing just how much not seeing what was going on turned up his natural sensitivity as his body tried to compensate for the missing visual input. Damien’s fingers caressed his wrist before curling over the fearful boy’s hand.

Then his hand was being drawn up, and lips as hot as a fire pressed against his wrist ever so gently. Right, Pip realized in a daze, over his pulse point. It fluttered under Damien’s touch, and the boy opened his eyes so he could see the almost reverent, yet still ultimately possessive and terrifying expression on the demonic boy’s face. In that moment where Damien let his guard down an inch, Pip summoned up his strength and shoved the boy off of him.

“Stop it!” he said, his voice high and trembling. “If you’re going to off me then just get it over with already. Otherwise don’t do this!” Whatever madness _this_ was. As the rest of his senses kicked into high gear, Pip heard the sound of people screaming outside of the door, or rather, one person screaming. _They’re right out there, my new friends are just a door away, if I could see where the door was._

“What are you talking about?” Damien demanded, his brows furrowing as that worshipful look vanished from his face in an instant. Terrified, Pip backed up, hitting a wall almost instantly. The room they were in was almost pathetically small, probably a supply closet, and he couldn’t see a way out, not in the scant light they had.

“You’re the son of the Devil!” Pip exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his chest and feeling like he wanted to cry. “Your whole bloody job is to kill me, right? You’re just… Torturing me before hand.” That was the only word he had for what had just happened, even though it didn’t quite fit. He could still feel the hellish lips on his skin, and he rubbed his wrist against his rumpled jacket as though it was something he could just wipe away.

But Damien just kept looking at him in genuine confusion, almost like Pip’s actions had shocked him, _hurt him_ even. “I am not here to kill you, I don’t wish to hurt you at all, just because my father is ruler of hell does not mean that I am here to kill you. I told you Philip, I’ve been searching for you for-”

“I don’t think that means what you think it does!” Pip blurted out. Internally, he prayed that he could trust Damien when he said that he wasn’t going to kill him, but the boy couldn’t be sure. He was dealing with something like a demon, not something he could disregard in the slightest. As if to prove this, Damien’s eyes hardened once more and he started for Pip. Afraid for his life, despite all assurances to the contrary, Pip bolted to the side and felt a spike of adrenaline run through him when he found the handle.

Throwing it open, Pip fought not to scream when Damien roared, “You are not allowed to escape me!”

‘Just please, stop this Damien!” Pip yelled in return. But Damien wasn’t about to take no for an answer sweeping forward much faster than Pip could outrun him. There was a blaze of fire as the boy’s powers rose up once more, and the British child was hardly able to register the shouting of the other kids in the room as Damien lit another desk on fire. Blindly running away from him, Pip almost ran into Leopold, who happened to be standing in his way.

“Fuck, he didn’t kill you,” Craigory exclaimed, his flat voice managing to convey some note of relief.

“PIP!” Tweek shrieked. “JESUS Y-YOU’RE ALIVE!!”

By some miracle, yes, that appeared to be true. Spinning so he could face Damien, Pip caught sight of Craigory holding a fire extinguisher up like a weapon and Tweek holding a fire blanket like a shield. Instantly the two of them closed ranks, protecting Pip from the demonic boy standing before them. Leopold, meanwhile, pulled him back, asking as he did so, “Did anythin’ happen? Are y’alright?”

“I’m fine,” Pip answered at once, even though he wasn’t sure how true that was. In truth, he was still shaking in his boots, but the fact of the matter was that Damien hadn’t really hurt him, and the boy had said that he didn’t want to. _But look what he did to you, don’t talk to him!_

Unexpectedly, Kenneth, who was sitting on a desk behind Leopold and Pip, leaned forward and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder that made him jump. “Keep that in mind Pipperoo,” the sandy-blond murmured, his words soft. “Because that boy right there doesn’t want to hurt you. You just think he does. Think of where he’s been, think of what that does to a person. If you let this go the wrong way, you’ll regret it forever.” Pip wanted to respond, but the words caught in his throat, and he realized that he didn’t even have a good answer to that. Because he remembered that twistedly innocent way Damien had treated him, and he knew that Kenneth was right.

“Get out of my way!” Damien demanded, glaring at Tweek and Craigory furiously.

“NO!” Tweek yelped, waving his fire blanket. “Y-you’re not allowed to touch him!”

“I just want to talk to him,” Damien exclaimed in clear frustration. At those words, Pip found himself jerking his head up and staring into the demonic eyes that were already fixed on him. There was _hurt_ there, genuine confusion, like he didn’t know why things were happening like they were, and it spoke to Pip in a way that he hadn’t expected. Sure Damien had crossed several lines, touched him and even kissed him, but Kenneth was right, he hadn’t… He hadn’t meant to hurt Pip.

 _I don’t want to kill you_ is what he’d said.

“Bullshit, you don’t want to talk to him,” Craigory barked, brandishing his chosen weapon. “You fucking locked him up in a supply room, how is that talking? We had to put out the teacher’s desk because you set it on _fire._ You’re from hell and you should just fucking go back there.”

“Let me through or I swear I will damn you both!” Damien spat. Fire leaped to his fingers as he spoke, and instantly the temperature in the dim room cranked up as shadows danced on the walls menacingly.

“JUST F-FUCKING TRY AND MAKE US!!” Tweek challenged, his tone fearless.

Growling, Damien reached out a hand and pointed it at Tweek, but before the flames on his fingers could do anything but blaze to life, Craigory lifted his extinguisher and sprayed the boy with it, covering him in white foam that deadened the fire at once. As the Noriette went in like he was going to hit Damien over the head with his weapon, Pip found himself lurching forward. Breaking away from Leopold and Kenneth, and managing to push past Craigory and Tweek, Pip leaped in front of Damien and yelled, “Don’t!”

In that moment, the whole room froze. Holding his arms wide, shaking because he had no idea if he was going to get jumped from behind or just shoved out of the way from the other boys in the front, Pip tried to hold his head high. “Don’t hurt him.” he repeated, his lower lip trembling as he did so. “I know he’s the son of Satan, but don’t bloody- Oh hell…” Lowering his arms slowly, the boy desperately insisted. “He didn’t hurt me. He scared me, but he never hurt me.”

“So??” Tweek demanded, twitching furiously. “He was going to h-hurt you!! You can’t just let him -ghn- get away with that!!”

“Damien’s just a kid, just like us,” Pip pushed, his eyes wide an imploring. “We’ve got to at least give him a chance.” Behind him, he heard a sharp intake of breath, and knew that even if he wasn’t really affecting the boys in front of him, his words had hit Damien. Emboldened by this, Pip drew himself up to his full height and continued, “He’s a decent fellow, I know he is. He’s just a little… Different.”

When no one said anything, Leopold chose to speak up. “Y’know, if Pip says ‘e’s alright, then I dunno, maybe we should give ‘im a chance or somethin’!” Brightening, as if his own words cheered him up, the boy smiled slightly and said, “We’ve had lotsa strange people down ‘round South Park, but that don’t mean we gotta be meanies to them or nothin’.”

Kenneth chose that moment to clap. “Buttercup, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again you are a _genius.”_ Eyes fixing on Pip, that smirk crawling up over his lips, the sandy blond announced, “In fact, I’ll go a step further. I think that staying around South Park for a while and going to school here might actually be the most beneficial thing possible for our Demonic friend.”

“Friend, how the fuck can you call something like that a friend?” Craigory asked, glaring between Kenneth and Pip.

“W-why is everyone losing their mind?!” Tweek demanded, dropping the fire blanket so he could yank on his hair.

“We’re not off our rockers,” Pip attempted to promise. “We just-”

“What in Heavens happened to my classroom??” As one, every child in the room turned and stared at the door. Standing there, wreathed in smoke, was Mrs. Choksondik. Tweek let out a scream. Craigory swore loudly and dropped the fire extinguisher with a clang. Leopold just let out a squeak, and Kenneth gave a jaunty wave, as if he were having the time of his life.

Damien simply said, “My Father, what _is_ that?”

“Why is a desk on fire!?” the teacher demanded, apparently not caring that they’d been in the middle of an argument. “Why is my desk covered in foam?! OH LORD MY DESK WAS ON FIRE!!” Storming into the room, her sagging bouxom waving everywhere, Mrs. Choksondik explained, “Just what in god's name is going on??”

“Well y’see ma’am,” Leopold attempted to explain. “We were just-”

“Just?? JUST WHAT!?” Slamming her hand down on a desk, scattering the supplies on it everywhere, the woman yelled, “I’ll tell you what you’re all just doing, you’re all just marching yourselves down the the Principal’s office! I cannot deal with you!!”

And at those words, deadening, horrified silence fell.

Pip didn’t even have to look at his friends to know that they were screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, you made it! Proud of you bby. Good job.
> 
> I know that the whole Pip/Damien debacle was a little alarming, but I needed to really contrast the fact that Damien was from hell and therefore couldn't relate to Pip properly, or act in a socially acceptable way. If you think about the people that he's grown up around, and the abusive relationship his father's in, his actions start to make a tad more sense.
> 
> But yeah, thank you for reading, and as ever, I hope to see you again tomorrow!


	9. Discriminatory Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've prevailed. Would a new chapter help ease the fact I've taken two days off???
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to Alexandra, who was so wonderful as to through love and kindness at me. O///O Thank you so much dude, you make me very happy!! I'm glad that you've decided to take the time to read this story and talk to me, like??? Heck, that's crazy. Most people just don't have the energy to make it through this long a story XD But you've done it, and I hope you continue to stick around! Cause that would make me super happy.
> 
> In other news, I'd like to draw your attention to something super duper cool!! DankChicken my official beta for this story, wrote an alternate version of chapter eight that I think you really should check out. There are some warnings connected to it, but I'll let you judge them if you read it! Trust me, it'll be worth your while to do so. So check this [beauty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741466) out, but don't tell them I sent you ~.^
> 
> But you have a chapter to read!
> 
> Enjoy.

Have you ever taken the long walk?

It’s not just walking a long distance, no, the _ long walk _ is a specific walk that you take. Everyone usually will take it at least once in their lives, and you’ll know that you’re taking it because every step feels like a mile. It can be a really short walk, only a few meters in fact, but there’s so much dread hanging in the air that you’re wading through quicksand that engulfs you before you even know what’s happening, trudging through molasses thick enough to suck you in and never let you go.

It’s getting called to your boss’s office. It’s hearing your parents arguing downstairs, and then getting called to come down. It’s walking up to the stage to give a speech when you’re not ready. Oh, they tell you not to worry, insist that you’ll be okay, that it’ll all be over soon, but when you enter the room, those words of condolence disappear like they never existed in the first place.

There are a lot of those kinds of walks, that you can’t get away from so you walk towards them like a convict to the gallows. It’s so bad that you almost wish you could run instead of walk, just get it over with already, but no matter how fast you think you’re moving, that molasses is just dragging you back. So you have to put up with it. Even though you wish the bad thing would happen so you don’t have to deal with the rolling in your stomach any longer, but there’s too much weight on your shoulders to get there any faster, so you just stumble forward. Head down, feet shuffling, insides rebelling, hoping that you’ll get out of it, but knowing that you just  _ can’t, _ no matter what you do. It’s insanity. 

Currently, Tweek was walking that walk. Down the hallways of school, past fellow students that were all coming back from lunch, heading towards the principal’s office with no idea what to expect. The man had yelled at Kyle,  _ Kyle _ of all people, the boy who honestly never did anything wrong intentionally, and  _ definitely _ never tried to do anything wrong at school. What were they going to get? What was going to happen to them? At this point, he was too scared to even scream.

Craig’s fingers squeezed his, and Tweek struggled to draw in a calm breath, only to twitch painfully and whimper softly. He felt  _ helpless. _

They were at the front of their rag-tag gang, leading the others down the hallways. Behind them, Tweek knew Kenny and Butters were walking side by side as well, the sandy-blond trying to cheer the other up. Tailing at the end, the blond assumed, would be Damien and Pip. At the thought of the Demon boy who’d gotten them in so much trouble, Tweek let out a soft, “Ngh-” before twitching hard.

Craig’s only response was to wrap an arm around Tweek’s head and pull it into an awkward side hug, not bothering to stop walking while he did so. Without Craig’s hand to hold, the shorter boy grabbed a fistful of the Noirette’s shirt and clung on for dear life.

Somewhere over his head, the stoic boy rumbled, “We’re going to be fine, I promise.” Tweek wished he could believe him, but oh God, what if they  _ weren’t _ going to be alright.  _ Jesus, why did Damien have to show up?? Why does everyone, but Craig and I think that him staying is a good idea? Pip got dragged into a closet, where God -or maybe Satan- knows what happened to him! Why would he want Damien to stay?!? _

“I d-don’t understand people,” Tweek mumbled into Craig’s side, his words muffled by the boy’s clothes.  _ I wish that things would stop being so confusing all the time. _

“That’s alright, dude,” Craig evenly replied. “I don’t fucking understand them either.” He squeezed Tweek’s head a little, and for some reason, it helped leak some of the fear out of him, like releasing the pressure on a boiling kettle. However weird it was, it was working, it did what Tweek needed it to, as he felt some of his shaking subside. 

As his panic faded however, a million different questions started crowding Tweek’s head. “W-what if the principal kills us?” he whispered fearfully. “Jesus man, I d-don’t want to die!”

“He’s not going to kill us,” Craig reassured him, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. Wiggling in Craig’s hold so he could see where they were going a little better, the blond stared ahead and jolted at the sight of the office, which they were quickly approaching. There was a clearance area around the doors, like no one dared get too close. Honestly, Tweek didn’t blame them, and he hadn’t even met the Principal yet.  _ What if PC Principal hates me? What if he tries to throw me out of the school?? Oh God, I can’t handle this!! _

Craig’s fingers dragged through his hair as they slowed to a stop before the door, and Tweek forced himself to take a deep breath. It sounded ragged, even to his own ears, but it was the best he could do.

“Ready to meet the Man?” Kenny asked from behind them, his voice as easy and lilting as ever.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Craig muttered flatly, before lifting his hand and knocking on the door.

There was a murmuring from inside, then the fearful face of Mr. Mackey appeared and the door swung inward. “You can all just come in and take a seat, m’kay? Yes, even you,” he added, pointing at the still extinguishing foam covered Damien. Despite having known the man for going on five years now, Tweek had never seen Mr. Mackey look so terrified, and the sight of it forced several painful shivers through him.

Clutching at Craig’s hoodie, strangling the hem, Tweek found the Noirette’s fingers carefully un-constricting each of his digits before lacing their hands together. Glancing up at the Noirette, the shorter boy drew on the quiet strength in those deep blue eyes before twitchily nodding and moving past Mr. Mackey.

“Alright, if you could all just take a seat.”

The words came from a wall of muscle and sunglasses. Tweek’s eyes slowly traveled up the person sitting behind the desk, and as he did so, a whimper escaped his mouth. PC Principal was tall-obviously-and built, with a snarl that seemed permanently etched onto his face. His stony expression could have cut diamond. Shaking harder, a soft, “Rrrr-” pushing past his lips, the blond stared into those sunglasses, and even though he couldn’t see the man’s eyes, he could feel them boring into his very soul.

_ I’m going to die, _ Tweek realized, his whole body freezing up.  _ This is it, I’m really going to die. He’s going to kill me. _

Then Craig squeezed his hand, and even though Tweek couldn’t look away from the terrifying man sitting behind the desk, he could feel the boy’s eyes on him. It was the gaze of someone he’d once found equally terrifying, yet now, it was the only thing that kept him from running. Instead, the Noirette’s eyes on him stilled some of his shaking, and the fingers laced firmly around his own pushed him further from the edge.

Swallowing hard, Tweek shuffled forward and sat down in one of the seats. There were two rows of them, three and three. Without really thinking, he sat directly in the middle. Craig quickly settled in on his right, and Pip, after a nervous look at Damien, sat down on Tweek’s left. Right there, directly under the glare of the PC Principal, the blond forced himself to sit up straighter.

“So, I’m pretty sure that all of you know why you’re here,” the man said suddenly, his arms crossed across his chest, his face hardly moving as he talked. Tweek kept waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t, he just stayed silent, staring at them, as if waiting for them to breakdown and confess. Shivering, unable to help himself, Tweek pulled at his hair with his free hand until there was a screech and Craig shoved their chairs together so he could ruffle the blond’s hair.

Thankfully, Kenny chose to answer. Tipping back in his chair, the sound accompanied by the squeak of the joints, the boy drawled, “Well, I’m afraid that you’d have to as our little Devil for the details… But if I were to guess, it’d  _ probably _ have something to do with the  _ fire. _ I mean, I  _ assume.” _ When no one laughed, Kenny chuckled at his own joke before settling down in his seat once more, apparently unaffected by the lack of a reaction.

When PC Principal kept staring at them, still not speaking, Mr. Mackey timidly cleared his throat and stepped forward, his fingers shaking slightly as he held up a printed sheet of paper. “M’kay, it says here that uhh, Mrs. Choksondik walked into her classroom and found it on fire, and her papers on her desk were all destroyed. Also, someone had covered everything in the foam from the fire extinguisher, m’kay, which is not okay.”

“B-but there was a whole bunch a’stuff on fire!” Butters exclaimed, rubbing his knuckles together fearfully. “I mean, what else were we supposed t’do?” Tweek kept waiting for PC Principal to speak again, but he just kept staring at them, and the blond couldn’t suppress his compulsive shivers.  _ Why isn’t he looking at Kenny or Butters, they’re the ones who are speaking!! Why is he staring at me and Craig!? JESUS I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!! _

“Ngh- OH GOD, IT WAS BECAUSE A DEMON SH-SHOWED UP AND SET EVERYTHING ON FIRE!!” Tweek screeched, hunching his shoulders and cringing at his own screams. “IT’S N-NOT OUR FAULT THAT WE DIDN’T WANT THINGS TO BURN DOWN, CHRIST!!!”

Almost instantly, there was a growl. “I will make you choke on your own tongue, mortal filth, how dare you demean me like this.” Letting out a shriek, Tweek toppled off of his seat and instantly Craig lunged forward, just barely catching him. As the Noirette’s arms wrapped around him, Tweek let out a pathetic whimper and wrapped his arms around Craig, clinging to him fearfully.

“If it weren’t for the Demon, then we wouldn’t be here in the first place,” Craig ground out bitterly, his words rumbling through Tweek as he pulled the blond onto his lap. “So if anyone should be here, it’s that fucking-”

“Got a problem with Demons, bro?” Tweek froze at those words.

“What?” Craig asked flatly, the confusion just barely visible in his tone.

“I said, do you got a  _ problem _ with Demons, bro?” PC Principal repeated, his words short and angry. 

_ Wait, what is that supposed to mean? _ Tweek felt his heart start to race once more.  _ Of course we’re scared of Demons, Damien tried to kill Pip! He tried to kill all of us, why wouldn’t we have a problem with them!? _

Pip, who hadn’t stopped fiddling with his hands, looked up and nervously asked, “Erm… What’s that supposed to-”

“Are you trying to say that Demons aren’t deserving of respect too?!” The man slammed an open palm down on the desk, making the entire thing shake. Butters jumped back at that, and Tweek let out a scream that he tried to muffle in Craig’s shirt, with little success. “Well, are you bro?” PC Principal demanded, his glare only becoming more pronounced. “‘Cause that’s not cool!”

“He tried to  _ kill _ us,” Craig pointed out, his voice one of forced calm. Tweek had no idea how the boy could stay so monotone at a time like this, but he wished he could do the same. Or at the very least he wished he could stay silent, but it was a lost cause. “I don’t think that Damien deserves any kind of-”

“-I didn’t fucking  _ ask _ you Tucker!” the Principal snapped, his fist thumping against his desk again. Instead of cursing back, Craig actually drew back, no doubt confused at the feeling of a teacher swearing at him. “You are being discriminatory against a marginalized community, and guess what bro, that’s not tolerated anymore!”

That brought Tweek’s head out of Craig’s chest. “B-but he’s not marginalized -rrr- he tried to kill us!!” Shaking hard under the man’s glare, Tweek stiffened his bottom lip and squeaked, “Oh God, w-why can’t you understand that he’s dangerous!”

“Oh so that’s how you think it is,” the man fired right back at Tweek, his lip raised in that eternally disgusted look that the blond couldn’t understand. “What, so just because he’s not like you he’s dangerous? Is that how it is? Maybe, he should have different bathrooms!” He slammed his hands down against the table as he yelled it. “Maybe, he should just sit at the back of the bus! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!”

“We just don’t want him fucking here!” Craig yelled right back, wrapping his arm around Tweek’s head protectively as the blond trembled and gnawed on his fist to keep himself from whimpering anymore.

“WELL GUESS WHAT BRO, THAT SHIT ISN’T GOING TO FLY ANYMORE!” PC Principal shouted, knocking some of the papers off of his desk. Mr. Mackey made an undignified whimpering sound, and the children cowered away from the furious man, as the Principal continued to yell, “We are a  _ tolerant _ school here, and I know that this is a new concept for you, but I’m not going to let this bigotry continue. Damien has just as many rights as you. He’s just as much of a person as you, him being a Demon doesn’t change that at all!”

Huffing, the man turned towards Damien and crossed his arms again. “Sorry Damien, bro, I can’t imagine what kind of oppression you’ve faced from  _ dangerous people _ like these.” Peeking over Craig’s shoulder, Tweek watched as Damien ruffled his ruined clothing and fixed the man with one of his intense stares.

“They sprayed me with something, I can’t make my fire work anymore,” The boy complained, clearly disgruntled.

PC Principal’s face morphed into sympathy. “I am so sorry Damien, but you’re going to be treated right from now on. I’m not letting anyone get away with anything.” 

From the corner, Mr. Mackey raised a hand and managed, “Um, I don’t mean to interrupt, but don’t you think that the fire is more important? I mean, these children almost commited arson-m’kay-and playing with fire is bad.”

“Shut your fucking pie-hole!” PC Principal snapped, whirling his head around so he could glare Mr. Mackey into submission. It was like watching one large dog slowly beat down another larger -albeit skinner and more drawn- dog, and it was frankly terrifying. “I’m the Principal around here, and I say that we’re  _ not _ going to  _ fucking discriminate _ against people  _ just because they aren’t like us!” _

Pip, of all people raised a tentative hand.

“What?” the Principal demanded.

“Well, I don’t meant to put you off or anything, but Damien says he’s the Prince of Hell, which is actually different than a Demon.” Mouth simply falling open as he turned to face Pip, Tweek clutched at Craig’s shirt as he wondered how the boy wasn’t catatonic with fear at this point.  _ Why is he sticking up for Damien?! What’s going on!? _

Face turning to a look of horror, PC Principal turned to face Damien and said, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Damein, bro, I didn’t mean to mis-species you like that.” Feeling very much like he’d walked into a funhouse mirror, Tweek twitched and looked up at Craig, who just stared down at him with arched eyebrows and a  _ don’t fucking ask me, _ look on his face.

“Thank you… Philip,” Damien said very slowly, like he was unsure of the words, before turning to PC Principal and gruffly muttering, “I won’t hold it against you this time.” Which seemed awfully magnanimous for someone who had promised death to the rest of them for calling him a Demon. But who was Tweek to say either way, he was honestly just hoping to survive.

Crossing his arms once more, PC Principal was silent for a moment before saying, “I don’t want you to end up microaggressed again, so if anyone says shit to you, then you can come here and I’ll make sure that they don’t do it again.”

This time, it was Kenny who cut in. “That sounds like a  _ wonderful _ plan, PC Principal, there’s just one niggling problem, Damien, his Hellishness, isn’t enrolled in this school.”  _ Finally, _ Tweek thought, relaxing slightly at Kenny’s words.  _ Someone with some common sense. _

Butters piped up at once. “Ah well, ‘e seems like ‘e wants t’stay, an’ I think it’d be super nice if’e could stay an’ maybe make some friends an’ stuff!” Tweek whimpered at that and screeched when PC Principal turned another fearsome glare on him. As he attempted to hide himself in Craig’s coat so that those eyes would stop staring at him, Butters decided to cheerfully insist, “Aw don’t be like that Tweek, dontcha think that Damien could be a good person! ‘E’s just a little different is all. That’s what Pip said!”

“Leopold is right,” Pip jumped in, his eyes wide and earnest as he stared up at the PC Principal. “He’s a little rough around the edges but we’re kids, who isn’t?”  _ No,  _ Tweek wanted to yell.  _ It’s different because most normal kids don’t drag other people into closets! _ But he didn’t dare voice it, not when the PC Principal was still staring down at him with those eyes that he was  _ sure _ had lasers in them.  _ He’s going to kill me! _

Craig’s arms tightened around Tweek. “But if he sets anyone else on fire, then you have to do something.” His flat words were stubborn and unmoving. “I’m not going to let Tweek get hurt just because you guys think that letting the Son of the Devil stay here is a good fucking idea.” Struggling upright slightly, Tweek turned his head and stared at the Principal as well, trying to muster as much strength as he could. Even though he was terrified, if Craig could do it then so could he.

For a long moment, the man just watched them, then he said, “Alright, I need to talk to you after this is over.” Before Tweek or Craig could ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, PC Principal turned back to the rest of the kids and said, “So, I’ve decided that because it’s my sworn duty as Principal of this school to ensure you all get the best possible life possible, I’m going to enroll Damien here, and he’s going to be in Pip’s class, because I don’t want him to feel alone.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Kenny exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “In fact, I think that taking him to class right now would be a great idea, wouldn’t you?” How the boy was able to be so flippant to someone so entirely terrifying was beyond Tweek, but then Kenny hadn’t been asked to stay late and Tweek had.  _ At least I’ll have Craig, at least I won’t have to deal with him alone. _

All things considered, that did make him feel better.

“You know, I think that sounds like a good idea,” PC Principal agreed, nodding. “Mr. Mackey, if you’ll take these children back to class. Thanks.” Looking relieved to be leaving, the Counselor nodded and addressed the other boys in the room.

“M’kay, I want you to come with me and we’re going to go to class. And you’re all going to apologize to Mrs. Choksondik for your bad behavior, you got that?” As the four who’d been given permission to leave all got to their feet, Tweek tried to keep his shaking from taking him over entirely, despite knowing it was a lost cause. All he could do was huddle up against Craig and pray he lived through this.

“Well, Cheerio, I’ll see you two chaps later!” Pip called, waving pleasantly, as if he hadn’t gone through hell and back in the past hour.” Damien didn’t deign to give them a farewell, he simply glared at them before walking out, hot on Pip’s heels.

Kenny took enough time to point fingerguns and Tweek and say, “Catch you two on the other side~ One way or another haha!”

Butters gave them both a smile and insisted, “Everythin’s gonna be alright, y’know that right?” Then he let Kenny throw an arm over his shoulder before the two of them left the room, Mr. Mackey in tow. The door closed, and Tweek knew at that moment that if the principal decided to kill them, he’d probably get away with it.

“Alright boys, I just wanted to have a few words with you.” Turning nervously, Tweek faced the PC Principal, put off guard by the unexpectedly mellow tone he was using with them. Taking off his glasses, the Man cleared his throat and fixed them with dark brown eyes so he could say, “Now I know you have your concerns with Damien, and I want you to know that your feelings are absolutely valid, alright, but you need to be more accepting of him.”

When Tweek didn’t say anything, Craig answered. Running fingers through the blond’s hair, sending small shivers down his spine, the Noirette calmly told PC Principal, “He’d already scared Tweek once, and then he threatened to shoot fire at him. If Tweek gets hurt, I’ll hurt Damien, fuck acceptance.”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, but uncharacteristically, he didn’t scream at them, he just took a breath and replied, “Bro, if you want Damien to change, you’re going to need to help him.” Looking at them both critically, PC Principal said, “Which is why I want you two to be positive role-models for Pip and Damien, because I think they could get a lot out of watching the two of you. So I don’t want to hear about you throwing him out just because he’s  _ the Son of Satan, _ I want you to be tolerant and kind to him.”

“W-what if he tries to hurt Pip,” Tweek asked, his shaking subsiding as Craig continued to run settling fingers through his mane. “Grrr- I’ve been hurt by people here before, and I d-don’t want that to happen to Pip too.”

“Well then I think it’s up to you to make sure that Damien learns to treat Pip as well as Craig treats you.” Tweek shivered, but he didn’t argue.

After a moment of awkward silence, Craig asked, “Can we go now?”

“Alright, you two can go,” PC Principal agreed. “But if this happens again, you’re both getting two weeks of detention.”

“Ye _ p.” _ And that, more than anything allowed Tweek to smile and relax his grip in the front of Craig’s shirt.

Because if Craig was calm enough to pop his ‘p’s, then Tweek could probably learn how to talk to the Prince of Hell.

Couldn’t be that hard, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I just wanted to say thank you to the Anon on Tumblr who pointed out, quite correctly, that rating this story E was misleading and dishonest. I've changed both the rating on this story and the other to M. Eventually, these stories are going to get an E rating, but until then, let's leave it where it belongs. Mature, because can we be honest and admit that this deserves at least that much.
> 
> Thanks to DankChicken for helping out with betaing this chapter, and thank you to everyone else who encouraged me through it. Special thanks and hugs to Blaine, cause they are always there pushing me forward when I most need it.
> 
> See you later Darlings~


	10. In Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Blue_Noize aka Blaine here, posting a chapter for our lovely Que! They had to work, so I'm here to give you guys another chapter of this amazing fic.
> 
> A few things I would like to mention:  
> Things are slowly starting to change. It may be for the better, or it may be for the worse, but it's going to bring a whole new meaning to this fic's name.  
> Que and I have been working on some things, and stuff may change in a way that is almost startling, but believe me, it'll work out in the end.  
> As always, this fic is still borne completely from Que's mind, I am just here to tie some ends together and make things a bit more cohesive. 
> 
> As well as this, I feel obligated to share some art with you, since Que's already reblogged it on tumblr, so this is some art from tastycheeseballs: https://tastycheeseballs.tumblr.com/post/171332548990/teamalphaq-i-hope-i-tagged-the-right-person-a. This is from chapter 86 of Semantically Challenged, and its just amazing, so in place of Que (just for today) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ART!! Que loves getting art. You should hear them go on and on about it!!
> 
> So now that that is over, here's the chapter!!
> 
> Enjoy~

Craig was quickly learning that being a role model was fucking exhausting.

After PC Principal had made the executive decision to keep Damien around, Craig found himself and Tweek suddenly under near constant scrutiny, not just from the demonic boy, but also from the Principal and what felt like everyone else. To be sure, it was a little strange to have the Prince of Hell trailing after you like a little lost puppy, constantly dragging a certain blond Brit after him, but did they  _ have _ to stare?

What most annoyed him was the clear stress that it caused Tweek. From day one the blond was more jumpy than he had been in months and more paranoid than Craig had seen him  _ ever. _ Everything seemed like an attack to him, and while he didn’t turn this neurosis on Craig, it still took its toll. The blond was snapping at everyone and yet constantly terrified that something was after him. Though the Noirette wanted to say it was ridiculous, the fact of the matter was, people were kind of staring.

You might not think it, but being under constant surveillance did something to a person. Craig found himself questioning everything that happened with Tweek, because clearly  _ something _ was off if the Principal wanted he and Tweek to be role models for anything. They were friends; anyone could be friends. Kenny and Butters were friends, and they supported Damien and Pip! What was it about Tweek and him that was different?

It only took a few days to figure it out.

Even though Craig wasn’t one for caring what other people thought about him, there were certain habits he’d fallen into that admittedly were kind of  _ strange. _ Maybe they didn’t feel weird (heck, acting differently was more awkward in his mind), but when put into context, they were glaringly obvious.

He started by only noticing the little things. Like how when he was sitting with Tweek at lunch and something bothered the boy, he was more likely to pull the blond into his lap than, say, help him reason through whatever was going wrong. No one else did that, just Craig. Kenny didn’t act like that with Butters, he’d never done that to Clyde or Token. Hell, he hadn't even done it to Bebe, and they’d dated for a month. Okay, maybe that was a bad example, but still, he was acting  _ weird. _

Was it really any wonder that after a week of this, he was stressed?

But of course, the universe was never satisfied with one thing, so it decided, as cruelly as ever, that it was going to throw another wrench into his gears. That wrench took the form of the other most important thing in his life.

Stripe #2.

It was on the first weekend of the school year that Craig noticed the change in his beloved pet. Since he’d received the little furry creature, Stripe had without fail come to greet him at the bars of his cage when Craig entered the room. But one Saturday, after a particularly stilted day of hanging out at Token’s house with his friends where he’d questioned how close he and Tweek sat on the couch the whole time, he’d come home and Stripe hadn’t moved.

The Guinea Pig didn’t eat anything all that day, and acted strange when Craig picked him up, almost trying to get away from the Noirette when he’d first reached into the cage. Frightened by his pet’s behavior, he’d asked his mom if they could take Stripe to the vet. Begged her, even though Craig Tucker didn’t beg for anything.

“You think we have the money to take your rodent to the vet?” his mother had demanded, spinning around from the dishes so she could glare at him. “If we had money like that then we wouldn’t be in this hellhole!”

With that answer weighing on his mind, Craig had gone back to school on Monday, unable to quite get his brain to work right. Stripe was  _ everything _ to him. Both Tweek and Stripe were the good things in his life that he couldn’t bear to lose, and even though he told himself that his Guinea Pig was just under the weather and would be  _ fine, _ he couldn’t quite make himself believe it.

_ I can’t handle this right now, _ he thought exhaustedly as Tweek huddled up by his side and glanced over his shoulder every few seconds, as if trying to catch someone staring at them. He wanted to tell Tweek, but as the blond yanked on his shirt and squeaked, “Ngh- Jesus, I hate this! Th-they’re all staring at us, it’s too much pressure!” he knew that he couldn’t.

So instead he insisted, “Ignore them, it’ll be fine.”  _ Stripe’s going to be fine, he’s just a little under the weather, _ he told himself firmly, trying to push the matter out of his mind.  _ I’m worrying about nothing; there’s just a lot going on. _ Then he had reached forward to ruffle Tweek’s hair, only to wonder why and withdraw his hand.

That was another thing. Why did he touch Tweek so much? He’d never even considered that it was a weird thing to do, but to be honest, it was not  _ normal. _ Before, he’d just done it without thinking. Grabbing Tweek’s hand, ruffling Tweek’s hair, protecting Tweek physically from his paranoia and panic attacks like that was going to help. It did help, but it didn’t change anything, did it? It just… Staved off a problem that he’d been ignoring.

The problem was that he was so used to it, it made him feel hypersensitive to it now that he was watching his every action. Why did he sit so close to the boy? He’d never done that with Token or Clyde. Hell, he’d gotten on Clyde for years about the concept of personal space, why was there no personal space with Tweek? Naturally he tried to tell himself that it was because it calmed Tweek, it made him feel like he was helping the boy, but when they couldn’t even walk down the hallway properly without Craig keeping an arm wrapped around Tweek’s shoulder or waist, wasn’t something amiss?

While he tried to deal with the confusion that he was suddenly facing, Stripe kept getting sicker. The little creature hardly ate anything, maybe a little something once a day and that was it. When you took into consideration the fact that Stripe honestly used to overeat because Craig tended towards feeding him whenever he wanted to be fed, it was concerning.

But when Tweek came over, exhausted and wanting nothing more to curl up under Craig’s stars and rant about flesh eating river monsters for several hours, the Noirette hadn’t known how to bring his pet’s condition up in conversation. When was the last time that Craig had lead the conversation, talked about the things that interested him? For some reason he found himself irrationally irritated at the blond for coming over and doing nothing but turning this into a therapy session. Because  _ of course _ he had to be the one to calm Tweek down and logically help him work through why River Monsters probably only lived in other states and not in Colorado; that’s how  _ all normal friendships worked. _

And where typically he would have snuggled up next to the blond boy and listened intently to his ramblings, interjecting his own two sense every now and then, Craig found himself frustratedly sitting beside Stripe’s cage, wondering why he had any conceivable reason to cuddle with Tweek in the first place. He’d never done that with  _ anyone, _ he’d always been someone who would prefer to talk things through rather than simply smother the issues. But that’s what he’d been doing with Tweek, hadn’t he? Worse, when he tried to think of how to stop, he came up empty handed. Maddening was what it was; frustrating beyond belief.

Yet he could only watch as things continued to slip away.

Two and a half weeks into the mess that had become his life, Craig overheard his Father yelling at his mother. Usually, he avoided things like this, but something kept him there, kept him listening.  _ “-all he fucking cares about!!” _ Thomas Tucker had been shouting, his voice angry, and wavering with alcohol.  _ “He doesn’t even think for himself, it’s all about that Tweak boy and I can’t stand it!” _

_ Did _ he think for himself? How the hell was he supposed to know? He was only ten!

_ Only ten _ had become his excuse, hadn’t it? Sure, he was only ten, but Token had his shit figured out. Clyde and Bebe were  _ dating _ and yet they weren’t so absorbed with the other that they couldn’t do things separately. Yes, Bebe hung out with them, but only sometimes. Other days, she sat with her friends. She had other friends and the fact that she was  _ dating _ someone didn’t change that. He and Tweek were just friends and yet they were joined at the hip.

It wasn’t Tweek Tweak, a person, and Craig Tucker, also a person. Somewhere along the line, it had become TweekandCraig, one unit, one entity, not two separate people who had their own lives and thoughts and feelings, just one cohesive mess. Well, they were right! Craig had almost entirely forgotten what it was like to be just  _ Craig Tucker, _ and not Craig, Tweek’s friend.

Even Damien, the one that they were supposed to be helping asked Craig why he acted like he did with Tweek. “Why do you always get him coffee, can he not do that himself?” The demonic boy had honestly seemed perplexed by the matter.

“Because I’m helping,” Craig had answered instantly, without even thinking about it. As he watched Tweek fumbled frustratedly with the lid of his thermos, he started to reach over to help only to consider his past sentence and ask himself  _ why _ he constantly put himself in a position where he might get in trouble with teachers for something like coffee. The boy had been fine years ago when he’d just brought multiple thermoses or however he’d kept up with his coffee addiction. Maybe he’d just made it last all day.  _ I’m just making his addiction worse, aren’t I? _

In the time he’d stopped to think about it, Craig realized that Tweek had already successfully opened his thermos and was drinking it, hardly twitching at all as he did so.

“So if I want Philip to consider me as a friend, I should get him lunch?” Damien questioned, tilting his head to the side. “Why in Hell would I do that?”

Hearing them, Pip looked up and quickly insisted, “Don’t worry about that Damien, you don’t have to do any such thing! I’m perfectly alright getting my own lunch, you know!” Then he smiled, and Craig wondered why he’d been treating Tweek like a child when he was a child too. It was only at that point that he realized in the confusion of trying to get the blond coffee, he’d forgotten his own lunch entirely.

Stripe, meanwhile, stopped eating entirely, and Craig desperately wanted to tell Tweek.  When he went to the blond, though, he found himself talking about stupid, vapid stuff that didn’t even matter. All because he was  _ afraid _ of Tweek’s reaction to the news that Stripe was sick. Instead, he found himself texting Clyde, who he realized, somewhat in horror, he hardly kept up with anymore. His best friend since before time had even registered in his brain, and he didn’t even know that he and Bebe were out at dinner with Clyde’s dad. How had he not known that?

So instead of telling Clyde about Stripe, he’d ended up going over to the boy’s house after he’d gotten back from his date and just talking to him and watching Red Racer like they used to. Possibly the worst part of all of it was that not having Tweek clinging to his arm was a relief. And just as quickly it turned into a downward spiral because if he was being honest, who was clinging to who? When had things all gotten so completely fucked?

In the morning, when he dragged himself to school, the first thing Craig did was push apart his and Tweek’s desks. He was still close enough that he could reach over and ruffle Tweek’s hair, but when the boy freaked out over their assignment, he attempted to get the boy to work through the problem instead of trying to do it for him. Because, he noticed when Clyde had trouble with a different problem, that’s what Token did. Helped him, instead of doing it for him. The whole thing felt so unnatural, he wished he didn’t have to deal with it at all, but it wasn’t like he could get away from it.

Besides, he didn’t _ want _ to get away from Tweek; the boy was his friend! A friend that he just so happened to hug and hold hands with and sleep with…

Finally, he had to force himself to actually look at his actions and internalize that no, he wasn’t acting normal, and no, he couldn’t keep doing this. It was a moment of panic for him, because he realized that in all his time knowing Tweek, the last time he’d really treated the blond like a normal friend were those first few days after first becoming friends with him. Those days in the hospital, where he’d acted like Tweek was just another kid. Where he hadn’t broken Cartman’s nose for pushing Tweek into a locker, and before he inserted himself so fully into the blond’s life than he had trouble telling them apart anymore.

And yet it wasn’t like he wanted to draw back from Tweek, because the boy was his  _ friend. _ Despite everything, he’d told the blond more than he had anyone else; he’d shared his hopes, his dreams, his fears- Well. Most of his fears, but he’d opened himself up to Tweek, and the boy had done the same thing for him. That was  _ definitely _ something that friends did, so that was alright, right?

But there was so much more that they did that Craig couldn’t quite drag himself away from. Despite the voices in his head screaming that holding hands was definitely not something that he should be doing, the Noirette found himself walking the blond home after school, his fingers intertwined with Tweek’s. When he looked over at the boy, Craig found himself hit with the fact that Tweek didn’t look like the image he’d come to associate with him. His twitching was minimum, and his eyes didn’t dart like they used to. Sure Craig could tell that the blond was working through  _ something _ in his mind, but instead of telling the boy it was fine, he held his tongue.

He didn’t even know what was making Tweek worried. Why did he think that just telling the boy everything was okay would help? For a moment, he was tempted to ask what was wrong, but then he realized that he didn’t have any  _ room _ in his head for anything else. If Craig opened that door then he’d be staying with Tweek for another evening, and he hadn’t seen Stripe since the day before.

Ruffling the boy’s hair, just on instinct, Craig waved goodbye to his friend, and wondered why it left him feeling gapingly empty, like he was ripping something important away. It wasn’t like he was ignoring Tweek, he was just… Treating him like a friend; why was that wrong? Or more accurately, why did it  _ fee _ l wrong?

“See you tomorrow, r-right?” Tweek asked, shivering slightly but otherwise standing up straight and acting alright. He’d been paranoid earlier, but for now, he wasn’t even looking over his shoulder for whatever was always after him. His green eyes were clear, but when they locked with Craig’s, the Noirette felt like his head had never been more clouded.

“Yeah, dude,” he said, as flatly and as casually as ever. Yet, as the blond rushed inside and snapped the door shut behind him before  _ anything could get in, jesus, you never know! _ , Craig’s shoulders slumped.

“Craig?” Turning, the Noirette glanced over at Clyde and raised a tired eyebrow. The boy was shifting from foot to foot, his lip caught between his teeth like he was trying to work out how best to say what was going on in his mind. When Craig’s eyebrows arched more dramatically, Clyde finally spoke. “Is something wrong? You’ve been acting really weirdly since the beginning of school. Did something happen?”

“I’m not acting strange,” Craig denied instantly, frustrated that him not hanging off of Tweek every single second of every single day was regarded as cause for concern.  _ Shit, I just want to forget about all this and just be happy with Tweek. Why does everything have to be so complicated? _ “You’re imagining things,” he told his friend, pulling his hat down over his forehead and striding past him, wishing that he could explain to Clyde what was going on, but unable to word his thoughts without sounding like a total dick.

“No, Craig, I’m not. You’re not acting normal. You used to treat Tweek differently, like he was… Like he was really special!” Hurrying to catch up with the Noirette, Clyde pushed in front of the boy and insisted, “You’re treating him like he’s me or Token. But you’re not even doing that. What’s going on?”

“Fuck off, dude, he’s my friend; that’s it!” Craig found himself snapping, his internal struggles getting the better of him. Struggling to reign himself in, the boy ground out, “I don’t have to baby him, Clyde, he can handle himself. And guess what, he is my friend, just like you or Token or McCormick, so if I don’t touch him constantly, that’s  _ fine.” _

“I wasn’t saying anything about that!” Clyde pushed right back hotly, crossing his arms. “Craig, you are upset about  _ something,  _ but you haven’t told anyone; I don’t think you’ve told Tweek, either. Do you know what that says?” Puffing out his chest, the boy stubbornly finished, “It means that’s something’s really wrong, instead of just normal wrong. So what is it?”

“It’s none of your damn business,” Craig spat, pushing past his friend.  _ Why am I treating Clyde like this? He doesn't deserve that- _

“Then at least make it Tweek’s business.” Those words froze the Noirette in his tracks. Clyde sounded desperate, helpless. Like he wanted to do something but just  _ couldn’t. _ “I know that you don’t tell me or Token much anymore; that’s fine Craig, I get it.” The way he said it, Craig could hear the hurt in the brunet’s voice, like the fact that his friend didn’t dump his issues on people was a bad thing. “But you usually tell Tweek everything. So tell him what’s wrong.”

Craig wanted to answer, but all he found was a well of frustration for his own actions, and he simply walked away, unable to face Clyde.

In one short month, his entire world had been turned on his head, all because the PC Principal had told him to be a role model for someone. Who could have known that it would take so little to pull apart so much?

As he’d dragged himself into his room, tired and miserable, the Noirette instantly went to Stripe’s cage, dropping his backpack so he could look at the tiny animal. The Guinea Pig didn’t even lift his head at Craig’s approach, just letting out a tired squeak as the boy opened the door of his cage.  _ I haven’t told anyone about him...what’s wrong with me? _ Reaching for the ball of fluff, Craig flinched when Stripe made a pained sound when the boy put his hand around him.

The creature was all skin and bones, his fur was thinning, and his beady black eyes looked glassy. Heart wrenching, hating himself for not being able to do anything, Craig gently held his pet and carefully ran his fingers through Stripe’s fur. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday, boy,” Craig murmured softly, tenderly. Part of him wanted to get some food for the Guinea Pig, but logically, he knew that his pet wouldn’t eat any of it.

“Everything’s just been so confusing,” he added, slowly slumping down to the floor so he could just let Stripe lay there on a mostly flat surface. When he lifted his fingers towards the creature’s nose, Stripe snuffled them weakly before letting his head fall back to Craig’s chest. “I- I haven’t been seeing Tweek as much; I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Staring up at his ceiling, and the plastic stars that looked unbelievably fake without the lights off, Craig kept talking, unable to quite stop himself. “But I  _ can’t _ talk to him Stripe, I don’t know how to. I don’t think I ever learned. Not really. I haven’t even told him that you’re sick.” Stroking the fur behind Stripe’s ear, Craig softly finished, “I never had to tell him before, he just  _ knew. _ But how we were acting, it was weird. But I was used to it.”

_ What if I’ve gone through all of this, and I’m making something out of nothing? _

Wishing that he could do something to let all of the emotions choking him out, Craig softly said, “I  _ miss _ him, and yet I’m talking to him every day. What the hell is happening to me?” Stripe let out another weak squeak, and the Noirette took a shuddering breath. “I  _ have _ to tell him,” he said into the silence, that horrible, empty, gnawing feeling continuing to consume him. Looking down at his Guinea Pig, Craig softly mumbled, “You probably miss him too, don’t you?” 

_ I would. _

_ I already know that I do. _

Maybe though, maybe he just had to get used to being Tweek’s friend, instead of whatever he’d become. Sitting up slowly, catching Stripe so that the creature didn’t roll off of him, Craig stared up at his bed, at the poster that Tweek had made that was still hanging up above it. With its cute picture of Stripe that Tweek had drawn from memory, all of those little stars, so carefully detailed, showing just how much the blond  _ cared. _ Looking at it now made his heart ache, and he couldn’t even begin to explain why past one thing.

_ I want Tweek here. I want my friend back. _

“You know,” the Noirette began, tentative to voice the thoughts in his head, even where no one else could hear him. “Before PC Principal said something, I didn’t even think about it, but… We aren’t role models, are we? Kenny’s right; we’re just  _ obsessed.” _ Lifting Stripe up so he could gaze sadly into those tired eyes, Craig kept speaking, his voice echoing in the empty room.

“I keep saying that Tweek can take care of himself. Everyone tells me that he can take care of himself, but I never really listened, did I? And I don’t think he listened either.” Craig’s insides sank a little lower.  _ What happened to us? _

Staring at his pet, the small creature that he’d adored for years, Craig brokenly said, “Please get better Stripe...please? I don’t know what to do about Tweek, I- I don’t know where we went wrong. I just want to be friends with him, but we weren’t acting like friends.” He needed to change, but how was he supposed to when he didn’t want to? “I miss what we were, I miss being able to hug him and make him smile, and sit under the stars together.” Sucking in a fast breath, Craig frustratedly asked, “That’s so messed up; friend’s don’t act like that, at least not  _ guys  _ that are friends. What’s wrong with me?”

_ Why am I like this? _

_ Am I not normal? _

He wasn’t, was he? He was screwed up.

“I don’t think I can lose both of you,” Craig told his Guinea Pig. “So… get better. I’ll bring Tweek over tomorrow, and then- Then I’ll try to explain stuff to him.”  _ Even though I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. He’s been paranoid and upset because everyone is staring at him, I can’t think straight, how do I put that into words? _ “Just, please don’t leave Stripe.”

He felt so alone.

And as he sat there in the silence, Craig realized that after all this time trying to help fix Tweek’s problems, he’d entirely forgotten how to fix his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue_Noize again. I'd like to say that yes, Craig is going through a HUGE change right now. It might seem rushed and over the top, the amount that he is changing, but it'll be for the better. Its still going to take a long time until things are, qoute-unqoute, normal again, and its gonna be a bumpy road, but I promise that things are changing for the good of both Craig and Tweek. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that you continue to show Que your amazing support! It makes them so happy, and it turn makes me sooooo happy. Thanks for reading guys! Til next time
> 
> Blue_Noize, out!


	11. -And in Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be bluntly honest with you guys. Some stuff has happened to me recently, and I took a major hit to my creativity. Every time I sat down to write, there was just nothing. For a while, I worried I was broken, and it wasn't coming back.
> 
> But then it did. 
> 
> And it couldn't have done so without Blaine, Angel, and Cori, all of whom helped me in different ways, strengthening me and building me back up after I had been torn down. They're all treasured, and all of them are loved.
> 
> Than being said, we have a chapter to get through.
> 
> Enjoy.

Tweek wasn’t stupid. 

Not really, at any rate. Or perhaps not in some areas. In some respects, he was probably the stupidest and most impulsive person alive, but in others, he sort of  _ knew _ what was going on around him. He had to; you never knew when something was going to come for you, or if the person you thought you were talking to would turn out to be an Alien or something. And sure, that was bordering on paranoia, but he’d been toting that particular line for years and it had kept him mostly intact.

Despite his intelligence not always being apparent, it was there, and he used it. Sometimes he didn’t process the fact that he was using his brain to move through the world, but that was irrelevant. Tweek  _ noticed _ things, even things he probably shouldn’t have been able to notice in the first place. Heck, even when he  _ tried _ not to see, reality got in his way.

So to even think for a second that Tweek  _ didn’t _ notice the slow and gradual shift in his relationship with Craig would be insulting. Because he very much had noticed what had happened, and it was frankly terrifying since he hadn’t seen it coming.

After that first day of school, when the PC Principal had told them that they needed to be role-models, Tweek had started closing himself off. He didn’t want to be a model for anyone, being watched was exhausting and terrifying; who would willingly put up with that?! Worse still, the entire school seemed to be joining in, watching him with their soulless eyes like they could  _ gain _ anything from scaring him to death. It wasn’t even just Damien who was sending chills down his back. It was the girls who kept whispering and pointing, or the underclassmen who’d stand and stare at he and Craig. It was every single teacher they passed!

It was- It was too much.

Though Tweek wasn’t as paranoid as he used to be, all of that progress quickly started slipping. He clung tighter to Craig, to the point where he started freaking out because he was  _ definitely acting pathetic and stupid and weird _ at this point.

And besides, despite the fact that Craig seemed to take a certain amount of pleasure in calming Tweek down, there was only so much he could do before the blond needed  _ air. _ Thankfully, he was given air a few days into the ordeal, at first Craig seemed to recognize that the blond had to breathe once in a while and let him have room, but he probably should have started wondering then what was wrong instead of a week in.

Then again, could you blame him for having other things to worry about? Tweek’s current concern was the fact that certain people seemed to be tailing him and Craig, and they always appeared whenever the two of them were close together. He wasn’t even sure if they were real, but he was fairly certain that some of them were the new Asian girls, so they had to have been real. How Craig hadn’t noticed was beyond him, but even after a few days in, it was starting to become obvious that the Noirette’s mind was elsewhere.

The girls kept following them, holding up their phones and talking in languages that Tweek couldn’t make heads or tails of. It scared him, and he didn’t know how to stop them.

And he was  _ going _ to tell Craig, but then something happened. Something Tweek couldn’t explain.

Craig started acting like something was wrong.

He was acting scared; that was the only way that Tweek could describe it. Over a single weekend, the boy went from acting flat yet awkward over being dubbed a  _ role-model _ to miserable and haunted. Tweek couldn’t even begin to ask what was wrong because every time he did, Craig just said that everything was fine, as if the blond was going to believe that for a second. Just a fluff of the hair and some empty words, every single time.

And you know what? It sort of pissed him off.

When Craig asked  _ him _ what was wrong, he told the boy what was on his mind, because he knew the Noirette cared and he was trying to get used to opening up, but for some reason, the courtesy was never returned. Tweek could ask Craig till he was blue in the face what was wrong, but the boy just brushed him off. Like he didn’t think that Tweek would care.

Like he didn’t trust his blond friend.

Frustrated, Tweek kept trying to cling onto Craig, almost as if he needed the Noirette to remember that he was there and that he cared. But he couldn’t quite get those words out, so he ended up feeling useless, unable to help Craig and unable to do anything about his own problems.

They were definitely taking pictures at this point, those girls who followed them. Tweek suspected that the only reason Craig  _ hadn’t  _ noticed was because he was busy noticing other things. Finally though, the blond made up his mind to just tell the Noirette and hopefully get the boy to talk about whatever was bothering him. So he ended up in Craig’s room that weekend, curled up under the stars while trying to formulate some words that made sense.

Then River monsters entered into the equation and he was doomed to watch his own mouth run away from him and destroy any chance of discussing anything of meaning. But Craig just  _ put up _ with it, why did he do that? Tweek had always been insanely grateful for Craig’s ability to let him talk about the monsters that haunted him, but it used to be that it was more of a conversation and less of an exercise in the Noirette telling him that things were fine.

They weren’t fine; something was horribly wrong, but Tweek couldn’t get Craig to tell him what it was. His own limitations had him helplessly floundering as he  _ tried _ to break free of the pattern that they’d fallen into, only to collapse back into it uselessly. It made him want to bang his head against the wall.

When he got home, he slammed head first into the mirror, and simply lay there on his floor as the room spun, wishing that he wasn’t such a fuck up as a friend.

And all the while, Craig kept drawing away. He made the effort to talk to Tweek, but the blond could just see the gears in the boy’s mind constantly turning, always leaving him with a slight frown and furrowed brows. The only way to describe Craig’s actions, in Tweek’s mind, was that the boy was scrutinizing everything he did. Before, the Noirette had made a habit of acting a little more instinctively, but now he’d returned to thinking things through before doing  _ anything. _ Tweek wasn’t going to say that was necessarily a bad thing, but it meant that Craig faltered and didn’t act like himself.

_ I can’t take this forever!  Something is going to break and it’s going to be one of us! Why did this have to happen? It was just a stupid comment! Why does everything have to change so suddenly? _

Honestly, though, change would have been better, because at least then he would have been able to point to it and see it; all he had right now was a veneer of the same that covered a horrible shifting in their interactions that he didn’t _ understand. _ It was so stupid, change in general, but it all came back to this recent bout of tension. Sometimes, Tweek wondered if he deserved this, if it was some sort of retribution for finally getting to have something good in his life. Except he’d already fought tooth and nail to get to be and stay friends with Craig. Why did he have to do more?

Maybe, Tweek started to consider as he sat next to Craig one day at lunch, struggling with his thermos as always, that’s where he’d gone wrong. Token had described friendship as something that took a little work but was largely a free gift, at least on the surface. Naturally, Tweek didn’t  _ entirely _ understand what the boy was saying, but he knew one thing for sure. His friendship with Craig wasn’t  _ free _ in the slightest. There’d been pain and fear. Sure, there had been quite a lot of good things as well, but there were problems that  _ needed _ to be fixed, rather than differences that could be ignored.

To be honest, Tweek thought to himself as he stared down at the top of Craig’s head while the Noirette told him about something stupid Karen and Kenny had gotten up to, he kept being reminded of one of his dad’s strange monologues when he thought about how he acted in relation to Craig. Richard Tweak had talked for an hour at least about how  _ relationships _ took hard work, and were often an uphill battle, but they were still worth it. At the time, Tweek had thought his dad was acting his usual crazy self, but then he looked at himself and his friend and realized that there were a few terrifying similarities there that left him lightheaded.

He and Craig were  _ not _ in a relationship. Tweek knew that, and yet the very thought terrified him.

When Craig moved their desks apart the next day, Tweek didn’t say a word.

As the days ticked by and things kept happening, Tweek found himself growing more and more scared. Because what if this was irreversible, and he was doomed to lose Craig as a friend? The Noirette hadn’t stopped drawing away from him, and even when the boy held hands with Tweek, that fretful look reappeared in those dark eyes and Tweek’s stomach rolled. 

_ Just tell me what’s wrong? _ he was desperate to ask. Yet he knew that Craig would never answer.

That day, after the boy had said goodbye to Tweek, the shivering blond peaked his head above the edge of the windowsill, and watched Craig and Clyde argue about something. His usually happy brunet friend looked nothing short of distressed, and Craig appeared  miserable. It hurt, but Tweek didn’t know how he was supposed to fight it.

“Hello, son. How was your day at Kindergarten?” Turning to find his dad standing there, smiling as he absently sirred his mug of coffee, Tweek twitched hard to one side and wondered what he was supposed to say. After everything, his tongue felt like it was tied in knots.

“Rrrr-” the boy at last pushed out.

“That’s great, son.” And then his dad handed him the mug of coffee, and the moment Tweek touched it to his lips, he thought his head would explode.

He didn’t stick around to pick up the shards of porcelain that lay scattered over the floor.

It took that first full month of time before he finally realized that he’d had enough. This had gone on far too long already, and he wasn’t going to let it continue. So Craig wasn’t going to say anything; that was  _ fine. _ Tweek was going to  _ make _ the boy say something. Yes, that sounded ominous, but no, Tweek didn’t care. His best friend was upset, and the blond was fed up with not doing something about it.

So imagine his surprise when it was Craig who approached him about it first.

“Come over today.”

“Gha!” Tweek dropped his thermos in surprise, and he had to scramble to the floor to keep it from getting kicked away from him in the swell of kids trying to get out of the school. Jerking his head up once he’d gotten his hands securely wrapped around the empty silver container, the boy stared up at Craig, confusion in his eyes. Sure, Craig asked if he wanted to come over all the time, but never like that. Like Tweek didn’t really have a choice one way or another.

Nervously, even though he’d been planning on asking Craig the same thing himself, Tweek softly mumbled, “I guess I can come over.” Mentally kicking himself for sounding so worried when this was  _ Craig _ and he wasn’t really scared at all, the blond gave a nod that looked a little more certain. “Just after s-school?”

Craig gave a noncommittal shrug and Tweek took it. He  _ wanted _ to come over, he reminded himself. The blond had already been planning on confronting Craig, so this was a perfect opportunity to do so. Though, the look in the Noirette’s eyes was far from perfect. Tweek  _ knew _ Craig well enough to be able to see it, and since he’d been seeing it for weeks now, it was all the more obvious.  _ But I’m going to do something about it, I’m going to get him to explain. _

Unless… “Is anyone else coming?” Tweek asked, twitching as he did so. At his words, Craig’s spine stiffened, and the gears in his mind started clicking away, each little out of sync  _ chink _ screeching against the blond’s eardrums, saying  _ wrong, bad, run. _ But he stood there, and he waited bravely. If other people were going to be there, would he be able to confront Craig at all?

“No,” Craig haltingly said, his shoulders hunching.  _ Why is he hesitating?  _ God, Tweek hated this; he despised the whole situation so much, yet he was powerless. It felt like at every turn there were more problems creeping up. It was almost impossible to focus on the original one when there were so many other little things that felt almost more horrifying.  _ Does he not want to be alone with me? Is he scared of something? What did I do wrong? _

Shoving those creeping worries out of his head, Tweek drew himself up to his full height and went against the little voices telling him to stop by grabbing Craig’s hand. “Ghn- Good,” he pushed out, keeping his eyes resolutely trained on the ground. Even though Craig’s gaze seemed to be roaming anywhere but Tweek, the shorter boy felt the Noirette’s fingers close around his own, and he tried to draw every bit of strength he could from that grip.

As they left school like that, still hand in hand, Tweek tried to think of something to say to Craig, just to make conversation, but he found nothing. Between them, there seemed to be this divide. Something serious was in the air, and there wasn’t any room for small talk. Even though Tweek tended to assume the worst, he could tell that this wasn’t a wall between them, it was an iron curtain. Eventually, it had to be lifted.

In the absence of speech, Tweek found himself observing Craig, staring at him and shivering as he picked out each little thing that wasn’t okay. The dark circles under the Noirette’s eyes made his stomach drop, and the deadness in his eyes was plain. As he picked up on the other things, the way Craig’s hair was even more tangled than usual, the state of his clothes, the slouch in his back, Tweek felt his own worry grow. He  _ had _ to get his friend to tell him what was wrong, otherwise, Craig was going to drop dead.

Realizing how far they still were from the boy’s house, Tweek simultaneously wished they’d never get there, and they’d get there at once. Dread built up in his system; his trembling got worse, but he still kept his head up high. The bravado was as transparent as glass, but the blond wasn’t going to simply  _ give in _ to the fatalistic thoughts racing around inside him.  _ I spend enough time doing that anyway. _

As they got closer to Craig’s house, Tweek found the Noirette dragging his heels. Sure, it wasn’t hugely noticeable, but it was there. There was such fear in Craig’s eyes, it made Tweek’s insides revolt.  _ How did it get this bad? Why did something we haven’t even spoken about get so bad that Craig is afraid of it? _

He tried to ignore it, at least until they got into Craig’s room and they could properly talk about it, but when the Noirette ground to a halt outside of his own front door, Tweek gave up pretending. “Rrr- What’s wrong?” he squeaked, wishing he could properly express the frustration and concern in his chest.

Craig wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Jesus, c-can’t we just go inside?” Tweek insisted, tugging on the boy’s hand, only to be denied his request. Under those stray black hairs, the taller boy’s eyes were dark, almost as dark as the shadows that were beneath them. “Craig-” Tweek tried again, not so much pulling on Craig’s arm as gripping the boy’s fingers tightly.  _ This isn’t going to get any easier. Just ask him. _ He drew in a deep breath. “Come on, man, -ngh- s-something’s wrong. You’re not okay, w-what’s going on?”

Shuffling his feet, Craig all but croaked, “Fuck…” And somehow, that one word held so much barely controlled emotion that it tore at Tweek’s heart like the last few months never could have. Opening his mouth like he was going to say something else, Craig stopped before wordlessly shaking his head and rubbing at his face with his free hand.

Stomach rebelling, Tweek pushed, “Something’s wrong, man, just- Oh god, why can’t you just  _ tell _ me??” Miserably, the blond begged, “Did I do s-something, or-”

Snapping his mouth open like he was going to vehemently disagree, Craig stayed like that for several seconds too long, before deflating and muttering, “I never… Told you about what was happening, I  _ couldn’t.” _

“What?” Tweek couldn’t help but demand, his own fear coming out in the sharpness of his twitching and the spikes in his throat. “What couldn’t y-you tell me?!”  _ Oh god, what’s going on? I don’t know if I can handle this. Why is this happening?? _ Trying to drown out his thoughts with his own voice, the blond insisted, “I h-hate seeing you upset, Craig. What-”

“I don’t know what to do.” Craig kept shaking his head, and Tweek wanted to scream. “There’s been so much  _ shit _ and I’m so scared, dude. I-”

“Just tell me what’s going on!” Tweek demanded, snapping at the boy before him.

“Stripe.”

Something inside of Tweek stopped working.

Craig’s free hand went back to his face, and Tweek didn’t even realize that his own fingers had gone limp until the boy’s other hand joined the first. “He- he’s been sick for the past few weeks,” the Noirette continued, his even voice trembling. “And he hasn’t been eating, and he doesn’t want me to pick him up, and my parents wouldn’t let me take him to the vet, and- And I don’t know what to do.”

_ No. No, he can’t be. _ But Tweek knew it was true, just because Craig would never lie to him about something like this. Shaking, his mind screaming at him, the blond helplessly whispered, “H-he’s not gonna die, is he?”

Sucking in a breath, Craig mumbled, “I don’t know, I-  _ Fuck.” _ Tweek desperately wanted to just wrap his arms around the other boy, but at the thought of Stripe being up there, sick and without them, he knew that he’d have to wait. “There’s just so much.”  _ So much what? Shit? Drama? Eyes on them? Pressure? _ Tweek wanted to yell, but he forced himself to keep the tension in.

Instead, he reached out and caught the hem of Craig’s hoodie. The moment he did, the Noirette’s whole body just collapsed in on itself. “I can’t lose him,” the boy whispered, almost like he was pleading with some being Tweek couldn’t see. “I can’t lose him and-” Stopping, Craig’s mouth tightened and his whole body shuddered, like he was struggling to breathe.

Even though he was terrified, Tweek managed, “Y-You’re not.” The words sounded useless, and the blond hated him the second they escaped his mouth.  _ I want to see him; he’s upstairs, and we’re just talking. Jesus, what’s wrong with us? _ Except here was Craig, hurting, and the boy desperately wanted to make things better.

The thought that he couldn’t scared him. 

To be honest, he wouldn’t know how.

Craig’s hands tightened into fists. “I hope not.” Without saying another word, the Noirette caught Tweek’s hand in his own and pulled him into the house. Following the boy, almost stumbling over his own feet in his haste, the blond didn’t even bother to try and take his backpack off; his mind was too focused on getting upstairs.  _ I can’t believe he didn’t tell me, _ Tweek thought as his feet pounded up the stairs.  _ I can’t believe I didn’t ask. _

But how was he supposed to have known?

As they both crashed into Craig’s room, Tweek faltered to a halt, unable to move past the overwhelming  _ pain _ that seemed to be leaking from the walls. Shuddering, the blond let go of Craig’s hand and watched as the Noirette dropped his bag and stepped through his disastrous room to Stripe’s cage. “H-how bad has be been?” Tweek asked, his words small.

Leaning over the cage, Craig said, “Bad, really bad.”

“He’ll be okay,” Tweek repeated, the words sounding empty.  _ Jesus, he didn’t even come when Craig came in the room, Stripe always comes to the bars. _ The entire room felt like it was submerged under water, or maybe that was just the blond, perhaps he was the only one drowning in the darkness that had descended over Craig’s room. Needing to speak, desperate to fill that horrible void, Tweek whimpered, “He’s got us; he  _ has _ to b-be okay.”

“Hey, boy,” Craig called, still hunched over the cage. “Stripe?”  There wasn’t any sound in response, not so much as a squeak. Tweek’s stomach rolled once more.  _ Why isn’t he answering? _

“S-stripe,” Tweek called, jerking violently to the side as he approached Craig. He heard the squeak of the cage door opening, and wondered why there was no shuffling of paws.  _ No, _ he thought weakly, even as his insides rebelled further.  _ Please, no. _

“Stripe…” Craig muttered again.

_ No. _

“S- _ stripe.” _

And Tweek could see it on the boy’s face, the shock, the horror, the pain. Craig’s flat features twisted as he slowly withdrew his hands from the cage, and his body began to shake. Everything around him started to crumble as he saw his friend simply _die._ _No, no no no no, please don’t do this to him. Please don’t do this. Why is this happening?_ He wanted to think that he was wrong, but he knew better, he knew that he wasn’t. The blond’s heart sped up to the point of being painful as he watched the Noirette pull out a small, emaciated lump of patchy fur, and there was nothing he could do but witness the inevitable.

It started with a soft sound, something that might have been a name, then Craig’s whole body convulsed, lurching horribly as a shuddering sound escaped him. Tweek could only stare as a soft, helpless sound of pain escaped Craig’s throat before his whole body froze up.  _ Oh god, no, why, no no no. _ Trembling helplessly, Tweek took another stumbling step forward before landing on his knees in front of the Noirette.

“Craig-?” Tweek whispered, his voice broken.

As the tears began to fall and Craig drew Stripe’s still, lifeless body into his chest, the Noirette croaked out two words that tore the world apart.

“He- He’s dead.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW IT HURT.
> 
> but admit it, you loved it~ ;)
> 
> I swear it won't take this long for the next chapter!! ;;^^
> 
> Now, I dunno if all of you are aware, but I figured that if you weren't, I should drop round and make another little announcement. There's a [discord](https://discord.gg/33tFVmW) for this story and its first installment. It's a good family, and I highly recommend you drop by. Even if it is just to say hello, we're super welcoming, and we love new faces~


	12. What a Crying Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wanders in* Hello, what's this place?
> 
> Ah yes, I remember, this is a place I live~ Oops, guess I lost the key at some point and forgot to come back. At least I'm here now, once again.
> 
> BUT LET US NOT DWELL ON MY ABSENCE~! Instead, l come to bring you news of something quite wonderful~ My beautiful Godparents, Angel and Cori, who you may or may not know as The Elder Gays, have been doing quite a bit of writing recently. Now, I'll admit, I can be a total snob when it comes to fanfiction, but their stuff is the shit, honestly. Considering how bad I've been about updates lately, I thought you guys might want to check them out. Their stuff ranges from Crenny, to Creek, to Bunny, to Creekenny, to pretty much whatever crosses their minds. Everything they produce is excelent, so if you're interested, I highly suggest checking their stuff out giving it a read. Trust me, it'll be worth your time :D
> 
> Now, onto the story XD
> 
> Enjoy.

When Stripe #1 had died, Craig had only been seven.

At the time, the whole thing had felt rather confusing. One moment, he'd had a small animal that he'd cared for, and the next, that animal was in a shoe box, his father telling him that things got old and  _ died _ , that crying over it was stupid. He hadn't even cried over it, so the whole conversation had just felt cruel and left him unable to properly articulate how he was feeling. Clyde had cried; hell, the brunet had bawled his eyes out enough to make up for the both of them. Craig had just stared at the little box and felt lost.

He was sad, sure, but it was a different type of sad. Logically, he could say that Stripe had died. He truly didn't like that, but his small, childlike mind had never quite  _ internalized _ it. It was probably a good thing, because pets dying was one of those things that every child was supposed to fear.

Then he'd gotten Stripe #2 from his aunt, and despite his parents griping about it, he'd  _ adored _ the creature. At first, it was like having Stripe back, and he didn’t really consider them different animals. As he got older, though, as he'd started to understand how much emotion you could pour into an animal who didn't do much other than squeak and snuffle around for food, he'd gotten a lot more attached. Stripe wasn't  _ just _ a pet; he was Craig's friend. He was the one creature that the Noirette could talk to no matter what. Even when he couldn't find anything inside of himself to love, he knew that Stripe, at some level, thought he was alright.

He’d never thought that this tiny creature could die just like the first one.

But Stripe #2 had died. And as he sat there, tears pouring down his face, heart clenching with pain, Craig found himself facing that reality without any hope of escaping from it. Because at this point, he couldn’t run, he could only face what he’d most feared happening.

It hurt;  _ everything hurt. _ Craig hadn’t realized that he could hurt this badly. Even though he’d had plenty of moments in his life that he’d felt pain, this was different. Stripe was  _ dead. _ Just the thought was horrifying, enough to make him want to scream, even though he wasn’t sure his lungs could work like that. This was too much for him to deal with, but he couldn’t cut himself off from it. The pain was invasive, pervasive, and overwhelming, startling to the point where he couldn’t separate himself. He couldn’t get away.

Cradling Stripe closer, the boy struggled to breathe through the tears. He was vaguely aware that he was sobbing, but Craig’s ears were ringing so loudly that he couldn’t make out the wretched sounds through the buzz. Nothing felt real, and yet it all felt like too much.  _ Stripe’s dead. He’s dead, and I couldn’t even say goodbye. _

Small trembling hands touched his own, just barely visible through the water obscuring his vision. They were trying to hold Craig’s fingers, but he couldn’t understand why or even  _ who _ they belonged to. He just kept tumbling deeper into his own pain, the indescribable loss that filled him. No longer was he a young child who could watch something die without understanding. There was no question in his mind as to what was going on, and it hurt, because he couldn’t figure out  _ why _ he deserved this kind of pain.

The hands tugged on his own, as though trying to make him uncurl from around Stripe. Confused, Craig looked up and remembered who was here. 

Tweek was crouched before him, seemingly silent tears running down his own face. As the buzzing in Craig’s ears intensified, the boy moved his lips. The Noirette struggled to understand what was being said but nothing registered. All that mattered was the cold lump in his hands, and the colder hole that had been carved out in his heart.

Hands growing more insistent, Tweek’s words finally grew discernable. “-can’t keep s-sitting here Craig. Ngh- P-please-”  _ What, what is he asking me to do? _ Without even thinking it through, Craig yanked his hands back, almost sending Stripe’s lifeless body tumbling to the ground.  _ No, he can’t, we can’t be so close. Why is he so close? _

“Craig-” Tweek tried again, but this time Craig moved before the boy could touch him, scrambling backwards over the floor as the hole within him crumbled in a little more.

“No!” he snapped, his usually flat voice filled to the brim with emotions. Shivering slightly, still trying to shake the haze from his eyes, Craig almost hit his head on the side of his dresser. Nothing was registering properly; his whole mind was focused on the fact that Stripe was gone’ and Tweek, the person he’d been trying to figure out for weeks now, kept crawling towards him, fear mixing with the pain in his tearful eyes.

“You’re upset!” Tweek insisted, his voice tinny and shrill.  _ Of course I’m upset, Stripe is dead! _ Craig’s mind howled, but he could only shake his head, trying to will Tweek away. He wasn’t helping; how could he help? And yet Craig wanted him here, needed something to cling to.  _ I can’t cling to him, that’s why things have been getting so bad, I don’t know how to exist without him. That’s not a good thing! _

As Tweek reached for him once more, Craig shot to his feet, his blue eyes wild. “Of course, I’m upset!” he snapped back. The sobs had stopped, but the tears were just getting heavier. With every pound of his heart, he could remember the moments he’d spent with Stripe; the ones he’d spent with both Tweek and the guinea pig, treasured memories that should have been calming. But they just made him think about how screwed up his friendship with Tweek had become, which didn’t help in the slightest.

“I-I don’t know what to do,” Tweek whimpered, like he was looking for answers. Like Craig could give him answers when the Noirette was such an unholy mess that he couldn’t even help himself. God, he was so pathetic, falling apart like this. But someone had died. He didn’t care that Stripe #2 had been an animal; it felt like losing a friend. Why couldn’t Tweek understand that? Why did he just keep staring at Craig like one of them was horribly wrong in the head?

Except maybe they were. Maybe Craig was. That of course would explain why he couldn’t seem to have a normal relationship with Tweek. Because there was something wrong with him. Because he was screwed up. Stripe was dead, and Craig couldn’t think straight; he just wanted it to stop. Why was Tweek just  _ standing there?!  _ Why wasn’t he doing something?

“Craig, please just t-talk to me,” Tweek begged, but Craig jerked backwards and hunched over Stripe’s form.

“Just leave me alone!” Craig snapped, even though he didn’t mean a word of it. If Tweek kept acting like he was, they’d just fall back into the same pattern as always. Craig didn’t have the emotional reserves for that. He was tired of forgetting himself. He was tired of watching things die, his relationships, and now Stripe.

“No!” Tweek shouted back, fingers clenching into fists at his side. Furious, or possibly just so scared he was able to be brave, the blond continued, “Y-you’re not okay right now Craig, Stripe just-” 

“I KNOW!” Craig fired back, his volume out of control, his tone fluctuating wildly. “I KNOW HE’S DEAD!”

“Why are you -rrr- acting like it’s m-my fault!?” Tweek accused, pointing a shaking finger at Craig. All the words served to do was make the Noirette feel more caged in. No way; he wasn’t acting like this was Tweek’s fault at all. Actually, he was pretty sure it was his fault, so why couldn’t Tweek get that? Why was he acting like the world revolved around him?  _ It doesn’t, I just act like it does, I’m just stupid when it comes to Tweek. _

“Stop making this about you,” Craig growled, his eyes narrowing against the tears still flowing from them. “Shit doesn’t always have to do with you, Tweek.” He could tell his words were cutting into the blond, and he instantly wanted to take them back, but to be honest, they weren’t  _ wrong. _ He wasn’t lying; not everything was about Tweek! Why was this so hard to accept for him; why was Craig so incapable of separating things? Why did it hurt so much to see Tweek just stand there and yell at him?

Shaking, his whole body trembling like a leaf, the small blond insisted, “I n-never made it about me!  I just want to  _ help _ , Craig; I don’t know  _ how _ to help!” Reasonably holding out his hands the boy took a step towards Craig and continued, “I c-cared about Stripe just as m-m-”

“No, you  _ didn’t!” _ Craig pushed out, stupidly angry about how Tweek could just say bullshit like that without even knowing what the Noirette was thinking. “He was my  _ friend!” _

“I was Stripe’s friend, too! I’m  _ your _ friend,” Tweek persisted, throwing out his shaking arms and glaring at Craig powerfully.

Taking a step away, Craig almost shook his head.  He hated how  _ wrong _ that word sounded when he’d spent so long avoiding it, always saying that Tweek was Tweek, and that meant something else entirely so he didn’t have to face it. But no, the blond  _ was _ supposed to be his friend, that’s what he was, right?  _ Right? _ It  _ hurt! _ Stripe was dead, and Craig just wanted to hug Tweek and feel better, but he knew that he wouldn’t because you couldn’t just ignore problems and hope they went away. Eventually, you had to do something.

“Friends don’t act like this, Tweek,” Craig said, his words shaking with the force of them.  _ Why am I talking about this? Why am I acting like it matters now of all times? _

As though he could read Craig’s thoughts, Tweek demanded, “Who c-cares, Craig?”

“I care,” he answered, his words a croak. Pulling Stripe’s body close to his chest, Craig stared at Tweek, wishing that he could articulate how he was feeling.  He honestly didn't know how to. Staring at him for a moment longer, the blond twitched hard and shook his head before stepping back as well.

“I don’t-” Stopping, Tweek bit his lip hard enough that Craig could see it bleed before turning away from the Noirette. “I can’t do this.” Then Tweek did the last thing Craig had ever thought the boy would do. Tweek picked up his backpack and just  _ left,  _ walked out of Craig’s room and closed the door behind him, leaving the crying boy alone with his dead pet and too much pain for one body to hold.

))))-((((

When Craig showed up at school the next day, it was with dead eyes and a darkness around him that felt like a solid mass. He didn’t even try to look for Tweek before class; he couldn’t  _ make _ himself care. He should have; hell, he wanted to! But he was sick of everything hurting him. There wasn’t enough space left in his chest for dealing with the blond.

Clyde tried to approach him at one point, but he couldn’t explain to the brunet what was wrong and ended up just ignoring him as well. In class, instead of sitting beside Tweek like he was supposed to, he stole a seat in the back of the class next to Kenny and ignored Mrs. Choksondik the whole time. Token stared at him for a good five minutes, as though trying to figure out what was going on without talking to him, and Bebe kept glancing back at him, but Tweek? Tweek just stared straight ahead and ignored him entirely.

Even though he’d pushed the boy away, it hurt. It hurt more than Craig had been really prepared to deal with. He wanted things to stop hurting so much, but when he hadn’t told  _ anyone _ what was wrong, there wasn’t exactly much support coming. As deserving of the silence he knew he was, Craig hated it, and hated himself for not knowing how to break it.

So when lunch rolled around, he found himself sitting outside behind the school, next to where the Goths were smoking, as per usual. It wasn’t his first choice, but he’d seen Tweek sitting with Token, Clyde, and the others. He didn’t have many options. He couldn’t face Tweek; he didn’t  _ want _ to face him after the boy had just left like that when Craig had clearly needed him to stay. So he just avoided it, hiding outside, though from who, he wasn’t sure.  _ It’s not like they’re gonna come looking for me… _

“What’s up, Fucker?” Oh, well, one person of course would come looking.

Glancing up at Kenny, who had his hood pulled down from around his face and his hands jammed into his pockets, Craig grunted and just looked back at his uneaten lunch. As if this had been a perfectly intelligible answer, the blond meandered forward and peered into the tall boy’s lunch bag. Pointing at the individually wrapped sandwich halves, Kenny inquired, “You gonna eat that?” When Craig didn’t say anything, the kid shrugged and helped himself, snatching up one half, and then, when the Noirette still didn’t react, the other as well.

Stuffing one into his pocket, the sandy-blond settled down on the ground beside where Craig stood and expediently unwrapped the food, contentedly biting into it and chewing quietly.  He just… sat there. As the seconds turned to minutes, Craig felt some of the barriers he’d thrown between himself and all the pain still clenching at his heart crumble. Slowly, his joints creaking like he hadn’t used them in a millennium, Craig sat down next to Kenny and huddled up, putting his arms around his knees. He didn’t care that he was acting pathetic and weak anymore, because… Well, he didn’t have the energy to pretend otherwise.

Balling up the plastic wrap that had been sloppily covering the sandwich half, Kenny aimed it at the single dumpster in the alley and tossed the wad in, where it disappeared among the trashbags. Then he turned to Craig and said in a calm voice, “I’m sorry, Craig. Ruby told Karen, and Kare-bear told me.” Blue eyes steady, somber without being pitying, the boy said, “It sucks that someone we love can die. It really… It really hurts.”

Awkwardly, his voice heavy, Craig muttered, “Yeah, it does.” He wasn’t sure why it was easier to talk to Kenny about it. Maybe it was because his relationship with Tweek was screwed up, or maybe it was because at some level Kenny  _ got it.  _ Whatever it was, Craig realized it didn’t much matter. Because at the end of the day, Kenny was his friend. And as Tweek had been insisting for as long as they’d both hung out with the sandy-blond, that meant something.

“It’s tough to know how you’re going to react to something like that until you’re there,” Kenny commented, looking up at the sky and sighing. Catching the truth of those words, the Noirette swallowed and nodded. He hadn’t realized that Tweek would run, he hadn’t known he’d lash out at the blond boy in the first place. “But I guess there’s only so much you can predict. People aren’t very logical…” He said it like he had experience in it. Considering how much the boy had dabbled in other people’s lives before, Craig figured that he had.

Still, the words were comforting. It didn’t make the pain go away, but it made it hurt a little less. “I know that, I just…” Drawing in a sharp breath, Craig muttered, “Why is it so hard?” Encompassed in that question was everything: Tweek, Stripe, the rest of the damn school. Damien and Pip and the new Principal and his parents! Everything. Kenny couldn’t possibly have an answer for everything, but the Noirette still asked. He had to at least  _ try _ to understand.

But the sandy-blond just shrugged. “I’ve been wondering the same thing for years, Tucker~ It’s a doozy of a question, that’s for sure.” Though his voice was light, there was a note of sadness under it that left Craig feeling not quite so alone in his own pain. Turning to face him, Kenny raised an eyebrow and asked, “But come on, Craig. You and I both know that hiding out here isn’t going to do anything.”

“He’s the one who left,” Craig said, as if he expected Kenny to know exactly what he was talking about without context. Thankfully, the boy seemed to be able to piece together enough to answer.

Shaking his head, Kenny pointed a finger at Craig and said, “No, you  _ both _ checked out of reality. I’m not blind. I know what giving up looks like.” His unmoving words left Craig unable to argue with what he was saying. Or at least, unable to argue and actually make much sense. Because Kenny was right, he had given up, however justified he’d felt in doing so. He just hated how easily the boy could point out his own stupidity without even seeming to try.

“I don’t know what I fucked up,” Craig mumbled, running a hand through his hair, knocking his chullo off of his head.

Kenny chuckled dryly. “Bullshit.”

Glaring at Kenny, Craig stared hard at the ground and said, “I just want to be there for him; I didn’t know that I’d end up-”

“Smothering both you and him in the process, yeah, Craig, I get it. You think that other people don’t sometimes do that stuff, too?” Kenny shook his head. “Nah, everyone does it. You’re just… Ahead of the curve.” Well, that was one way to say it, but Craig wasn’t sure if he liked it.  _ I don’t, because I don’t know how to change. _

“So how do I fix-”

“Two things, Craig,” Kenny said, cutting him off. “One, you  _ can’t _ fix things. Not really. You move on, and you change the future because the past doesn’t go away. Second, I can’t tell you how to do it.” Snatching up the Noirette’s hat, Kenny pulled it back over Craig’s hair, trying and failing to properly adjust it. “You’re not just a dishrag, Craig, you’re allowed to think for yourself. You’re allowed to go after what you want. That doesn’t mean you’re not going to have to make compromises; that doesn’t mean you can’t worry about other people, but it does mean that you can’t expect someone else to make sure  _ you _ are happy. Because that’s something you have to figure out for yourself.”

Getting to his feet, Kenny stretched and glanced down at Craig’s lunch box once more. “Look man, I’m hungry, are you going to eat anything-”

“No, take it,” Craig said, shoving it up at Kenny.

“Thanks~!” Kenny said, giving Craig a crooked grin. After rooting out all the food, the blond tossed it back and stuffed his spoils away, humming in pleasure. Before he turned to walk away, however, he stopped, and glanced back at Craig one last time. “Hey… Fucker-”

“What?”

“You don’t have to label things.” When Craig furrowed his brows in confusion, Kenny shrugged easily, his smile only turning up the edges of his lips. “Friends, not friends, even something else entirely, you don’t have to put a name to it. And you don’t have to let a label tell you how you can and can’t act. Just… Do what feels natural, I guess. As long as you’re comfortable with it, and Tweek’s comfortable too, then you don’t need to lose your mind over it.”

Shaking his head, the blond muttered, “Ah, who am I kidding; I don’t know anything, do I?” Then he headed towards the door once more, lifting two fingers in a lazy salute. “Sayonara, Craig. I’ll see you around.”

With a click, the door swung closed, the only sign that Kenny had been there at all being Craig's empty lunchbox and the thoughts that swirled in his brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Blaine for helping me by betaing this chapter and generally inspiring me to get off my butt and finish it. 
> 
> And seriously, thank you to everyone who's been sticking by me through everything. I'll admit, my life is less than optimal right about now, but I'm getting there, and with all the help, I'm going to make it~
> 
> See you guys soon!


	13. Silence is Golden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaine and I stayed up till six last night talking and writing together, so I'm gonna be honest, I am falling asleep as we speak. If this chapter makes no sense, I'm so sorry ;;^^
> 
> Henry, I hope you escaped the factory!! Don't overwork yourself love, otherwise, we'll both be worrying Jackie XD
> 
> *Casually ignores the fact that this is the second day in a row I've posted*
> 
> Enjoy.

To be honest, Tweek wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.

He’d never had to handle something like this before, never seen something die, never tried to comfort someone when they were so upset. Hell, Tweek had trouble keeping himself from constant, drowning panic. How was he supposed to help Craig? But he’d tried; god, he’d  _ tried. _ He’d tried to hug the boy or just reach out and touch him, but Craig had only yelled at him. That was too much! If there had been a reason, then maybe Tweek would have been able to handle it, but there wasn’t. There hadn’t been, at least, not one that his scrambled brain could discern.

Because it hurt, seeing Stripe dead in Craig’s hands, emaciated and lifeless. It hurt to think that he’d never gotten to say goodbye, even though the guinea pig had been an animal who wouldn’t have understood what he was saying.  _ I really cared about Stripe, and Craig just never even told me that he was sick. It’s not fair, I should have been there for Stripe. I should have been there for both of them, but Craig just… didn’t want me!! _ Oh god, thinking about it in those terms hurt far worse than Tweek felt like they should have.

He tried to convince himself that he was wrong, that Craig had just neglected to tell him because he wasn’t sure how to approach Tweek, but the blond couldn’t seem to convince himself of it. If that had been true, then Craig wouldn’t have pushed him away. He would have talked to Tweek that morning instead of entirely ignoring him like the blond was nothing but dirt on his shoe.

Hell, he hadn’t even sat next to Tweek. It was like adding insult to injury, and he  _ hated _ it so much. Despite the fact that he was currently a ball of complex emotions that he didn’t want to deal with, Tweek had been  _ ready _ to talk to Craig. Just put things behind him and move on, figure out how to help Craig since it was clear the boy needed someone to help him. After all, no one was impenetrable.

If he hadn’t known that before, he’d certainly been forced to accept it when Craig had broken down into tears. Then again, Tweek had been in tears as well.

Stripe hadn’t just been a pet; the creature hadn’t been an object. It had been a  _ personality,  _ a being that seemed like it had feelings just as much as he or Craig. They’d both poured so much time and care into Stripe, because it had been important. The fuzzy animal had been worth so much to both of them. When Tweek was over at Craig’s house and couldn’t sleep, he’d play with Stripe until Craig woke up, and when the Noirette was trying to work through something in his head, he’d hold Stripe and stroke him gently until his face cleared, and he went back to normal. 

To think that both Stripe and Craig had been forced to suffer alone- Well, even though Tweek was upset with Craig for just not telling him, he couldn’t help but feel horribly guilty, because maybe he should have just  _ known. _ Wasn’t that how it worked? Friends knew things about each other, even without being told. He knew Craig, even though the boy didn’t talk about himself very often. It used to be that if Tweek stared at Craig for long enough, he could just  _ understand _ what the Noirette was thinking. The boy was his friend; he didn’t want to lose that! Not over something like this, not over anything.

Except...

_ Friends don’t act like this. _

Burying his fingers into his hair, Tweek pulled and tried to ignore those words that ate away at his brain. God, he knew it was true; he’d been thinking the same thing for a month now. Friends didn’t act like he and Craig did. Sure, other people were close, but there was a line, and they’d crossed it. And now he’d gotten tossed out of Craig’s life, because somewhere along the line, they’d screwed it up.

He hated it, he hated himself. Presently, the only thing he really wanted was for it to just  _ stop. _

“Come on, Tweek, just tell us,” Bebe was coaxing, her musical voice doing nothing to soothe the ache in the blond’s chest. Twitching, Tweek shook his head and stared at the floor, at the bits of food that had been left there over the years that the janitors were too lazy to clean up. Everyone knew that there were probably rats running around in the walls, but no one was willing to do anything about it. Because who cared? Who cared that things here were about as sanitary as a graveyard? It didn’t matter; they were all going to die anyway so why-

“GHA!!” Tossing his head about, Tweek yanked at his hair and forced himself to stop thinking about stupid things like the floor. God, Stripe had just died. Why couldn’t he even stop being a twitchy fuck for long enough to figure out how to deal with that fact? Except it hurt, and he shouldn’t be forced to deal with it alone.

_ It’s my fault that I’m alone, it’s all my- NO HE’S THE ONE WHO PUSHED ME AWAY!! _

“Craig will come around eventually,” Token commented, his eyes trained on Tweek, a look of worry glimmering in them. Trying to focus on that expression of calm sympathy that Token was giving him instead of on the things careening around in his head, Tweek started to nod when he was all but tackled from behind by Clyde.

“Wait, what happened with Craig?” the boy asked, his brown eyes wide. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“I don’t know,” Token said, shrugging. “I just inferred that something happened, because he’s not here.”

Instantly, Clyde spun Tweek around so he could question, “Teacup, what happened between you and Craig? Did you guys have a fight?”  _ Oh god, why didn’t Craig tell anyone anything?! _ Shivering, Tweek let out a squeak and struggled to escape Clyde, which was easier said than done. “I mean, I knew that Craig was acting off, because, come on, anyone could see that, but-”

Calmly, Bebe hooked an elbow around one of Clyde’s arms and pulled him away from Tweek, who just sat there and twitched violently, whimpering. “Leave him alone, you doof,” she scolded, though her eyes were full of worry as well. Thankful for the reprieve, but aware that it probably wouldn’t last, Tweek used the moment of silence to lunge for his coffee mug and take several small sips. Ever since things had started getting weird between he and Craig, the Noirette had stopped getting him coffee between classes. Probably, it was for the best. He was already reliant enough on the stuff.

“Oh dear, is something going on?” Glancing up, Tweek watched as Pip sat down on the bench across from them, Damien following close behind. Even though he’d known the two for a month, he still couldn’t figure them out. Pip was always so cheerful, and despite the fact that Damien acted pretty terrifying almost all the time, the boy didn’t let that tarnish his mood. Honestly, Tweek had started to wonder if  _ anything _ could upset the boy.

Damien, on the other hand, was always upset. Or at least, he was always scowling angrily, like he was picturing the people around him burning in hell. Every time he even looked at Tweek, the blond felt like he was going to scream. Tweek had been  _ trying _ to get used to it, but right now, he didn’t have Craig and he didn’t have his emotions in check, so the Demon’s presence did nothing to help his head.

Struggling to focus on Pip instead of his dark, frightening shadow, Tweek pushed out, “N-nothing.”

“Oh well, then where’s Craigory?” Pip blinked innocuously and looked around with bright eyes. “He’s never far behind if you’re around, I swear, you two must be joined at the hip!” Heart sinking, the blond shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared at the table, his twitching slowly getting worse.  _ We are usually joined at the hip. Jesus, that shouldn’t be a bad thing!! _

But it was. Or maybe it should be and Tweek was only realizing that now.

“Some stuff happened,” Bebe explained calmly, touching Tweek’s arm lightly as she spoke. Though he didn’t mean to, the blond yanked his arm out of her reach, shaking as he did so. If had been anyone else, they probably would have been pissed. All Bebe did, however, was shoot him a sad, imploring look that made guilt coil in Tweek’s gut. “I’m sure it’ll all work out soon,” the girl added.

Unsure if the words were meant for him or Pip, Tweek just put his head down and focused on his half-empty thermos, resisting the urge to drain it. If he did, he’d be coffeeless for the rest of the day, and without Craig sitting beside him in class, the boy knew he wouldn’t be able to stand it.

“If you ever need anything, Tweek, don’t hesitate to give me a good poke.” Grinning from ear to ear, the happy, British boy unzipped his lunch bag and delightedly pulled out the contents. “I’d love to help, considering how happy you and Cragory are together~”  _ No, we’re not- oh wait, he meant… _ Feeling stupid, the blond let out a whine before shivering and putting his forehead against the table. It did nothing to sooth the pain that was beating behind his eyes.

“What did he  _ do?” _ Damien asked, not curiously per say, but more in a troubled voice, like he was perturbed by the ideas of what Craig might have done. Wishing that he didn’t have to have this conversation, Tweek stared stubbornly at his lap,  while his friends gave various answers of how little more much they knew.

“He’s been off all week,” Clyde commented, shrugging and leaning his back against Tweek’s shoulder. “I dunno, this  _ is _ Craig we’re talking about. When does he ever make sense?”

Turning towards the others, mild interest in his expression, Token added, “He got into a fight with Tweek last night, I think.”  _ It wasn’t even a fight, it was just… I DON’T EVEN HAVE A NAME FOR IT! I JUST WISH IT HADN’T HAPPENED!! _ Jerking violently to the side, Tweek growled and snaked a hand up into his blond mane so he could tug on it, trying to pull the thoughts and memories from his brain. But they wouldn’t come, all he saw was Craig’s heartbrokenly angry expression, and Stripe’s limp body cradled in the Noirette’s hands.

Folding her hands in her lap, Bebe tacked on, “He’ll probably come around soon, but until th-”

“JESUS, HE WON’T, OKAY!!?” Everyone else fell silent. Breathing heavily, Tweek slowly looked up, his eyes wide and broken. “S-stripe died yesterday.” His voice cracked on the word  _ died, _ and he wished that he could simply sink through the floor. “He died -ngh- and then- Then Craig got so upset, and god, I- I JUST LEFT!”

_ I’m such a horrible person. _

Feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes once more, Tweek shot to his feet. Before someone could stop him, not that anyone would have wanted to, who really wanted him around anyway, Tweek snatched up his mug of coffee. Abandoning his uneaten lunch, the boy stumbled out of the cafeteria, wishing that he could vanish.  _ Why do I have to be like this, why couldn’t I have helped Craig? What am I even supposed to do?! _

Wandering down the largely empty hallway, Tweek gnawed on his lip hard enough to draw blood, as he struggled to keep walking in a straight line. Christ-! He just wanted to stop thinking about it, but every time he tried, all his brain did was conjure up another image of the tears that had traced down Craig’s cheeks.  _ You’re not allowed to act like that. I don’t know how to deal with your pain; I don’t understand my own pain, let alone someone else’s. _ God, he sounded so selfish. As a wave of irrational frustration hit him, Tweek let out a twitchy growl and slammed his head into the lockers next to him. The resounding  _ clang _ that echoed through the halls masked the sounds of him tumbling backwards and falling to the floor.

“Grrr- I h-hate this,” he mumbled helplessly, knuckling his eyes so he wouldn’t have to watch his thermos roll away from him. “I just want t-to help.”

“Hey, Teacup?”

Head snapping up, Tweek found Clyde standing over him, his ruffled brown hair falling into his eyes as he stared down at the blond worriedly.  _ Why does he care enough to follow me, I’m such a mess, he shouldn’t be bothering with my problems. _ But Clyde wasn’t leaving, no, instead he just settled down on the floor across from Tweek, pulling his legs up till they were comfortably crossed. Concernedly watching him for a moment in silence, Clyde finally opened his mouth once more.

“I’m sorry about what happened, I- I didn’t know that Stripe…” Trailing off, the usually happy brunet sighed and crossed his arms, hugging his chest with them. “Craig didn’t tell me, but then, I don’t think he told you either.”

Sniffling despite himself, Tweek struggled to sit upright as well and hugged his knees tightly so he wouldn’t have to look into those kind eyes. “N-no, he didn’t.”  _ And because he didn’t, I never got to even try to help him. I hate that. _

“Y’know, Craig’s never been good at dealing with people dying,” Clyde commented, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling absently. “He um… He usually just shuts down.”

“He didn’t shut d-down with me,” Tweek mumbled. Though it wasn’t entirely true; he could hardly call the sobs that had ripped from the boy’s chest  _ nothing. _ “He was really upset, but I couldn’t help, and th-then he shut down.” Rocking slightly on his tailbone, the blond added, “I don’t know how to help him when stuff is so -rrr- bad.”

Clyde shrugged. “I dunno how to help you, really.” Voice growing distant, the boy continued, “You know, when my mom died, Craig really  _ tried _ to help. He doesn’t always show a lot of emotion, but you know him, Teacup; he’s got a lot under that shell. And he really  _ wanted _ to make things better for me, but… he couldn’t?” Shaking his head, Clyde laughed softly. “I’m  _ really _ bad at this, Tweek; you should probably ask Token, or Bebs, or Kenny even. They’d all be better than me.”

“No, y-you’re fine,” Tweek mumbled. Admittedly, he was hanging off of Clyde’s every word, and he didn’t want him to stop telling the story now before the ending. “So what  _ did _ Craig do?”

“Do?” Raising his eyebrows slightly, Clyde pulled a half smile. “Craig didn’t  _ do _ anything. Actually, most of the time, when he tried to do something, it didn’t really work. But that’s not really what matters. When something like that happens, something really bad, there aren’t necessarily words, Teacup. So it’s okay if you don’t know what to do. No one else knows either.”

Pinching his face together, twitching slightly as he tried to work through what the other boy had said, Tweek started, “So, if I w-want to help him, I just-” Abruptly, the bell rang, and what felt like a flood of people started cramming the hallway, leaving Tweek no choice but to abandon his train of thought in favor of scrambling after his coffee thermos. By the time he’d gotten back to his feet and was struggling against the tide of bodies trying to get to their locker’s, Clyde was already gone.

))))-((((

Tweek spent all of class trying to figure out what Clyde meant. To be honest, he wasn’t very good at figuring things like this out. Without Craig there to ground him, or at least aid Tweek in grounding himself, the blond’s thoughts ran everywhere. Had Craig finally done something right with Clyde? Had the brunet, in fact, simply gotten over it? No, that didn’t sound right. That couldn’t possibly be it. And besides, whatever the solution was, Clyde and Craig hadn’t been dealing with the stupid issues of not knowing where the line was.

Craig hadn’t been measuring the distance between them with a metaphorical ruler. Clyde hadn’t been pushing the Noirette away just because they were  _ friends. _ Which meant that in the end, Tweek had no idea what to do, because the situations weren’t the same. So he just kept turning the ideas over and over in his head, desperate for one of them to stick.

But when the school day ended and Craig was the first one out the door, Tweek realized with a horrible sinking defeat that it didn’t even matter. Craig didn’t want a thing to do with him, and there was no way that Tweek was going to be able to change that now. Not after everything.

Shivering, the blond dragged himself out of through his hair.  _ I can’t even talk to him, so it doesn’t matter. I don’t  _ care.

But he did care, and that made it hurt.

Hustling out of school through the back, hoping to avoid Clyde, Token, and the others, Tweek wandered through the playground with it’s trickle of students who were using it to circumvent the mob. Frankly, Tweek was satisfied with doing the same.

Or at least, he would have been, had not a certain yellow poofball caught his attention.

Spinning swiftly, hands already up like he was expecting someone to attack him even though it was irrational, Tweek felt his whole body go limp with the desire to just fall to the ground and curl up at what he found. Because sitting there on the merry go round, legs tucked up to his chest and head bent, was Craig.

His first instinct was to turn around and leave. Tweek’s entire being shouted at him to leave, but then he remembered Clyde’s story. Craig hadn’t been able to do anything, and yet he’d been a comfort. So maybe, the blond thought, the idea nothing but a tiny voice in the back of his head.  _ Maybe I don’t have to do anything, maybe if I’m just there, it’ll be enough. _

In the end, Tweek couldn’t just leave Craig. No matter how much the Noirette shouted at him, he cared about the other boy, and that wasn't going to change.

So it was with great trepidation that the blond started towards Craig. Feet scraped over wood chips, and his involuntary sounds no doubt alerted Craig to his presence long before he’d even reached the merry go round, but he wasn’t leaving, so Tweek kept moving. Eventually, he was practically standing over Craig. Even with him this close, Craig didn’t respond, and Tweek didn’t blame him. Especially because the longer he stood there, the more pain he could feel echoing up from Craig.

_ I can’t do anything; I can’t even say anything, but I can be here. _

Maybe that was enough.

Slowly, Tweek sat down on the merry go round behind Craig. For a second, he just sat there, the close proximity making his skin prickle, but then Tweek leaned back. Gently, he fell back against Craig’s stiff back. For a second, he thought he’d be thrown off of the equipment by the Noirette, but then Craig’s hunched back straightened slightly, and he pushed back against Tweek’s spine. It wasn’t anything close to what they’d used to do, but somehow, the moment felt all the more poignant because of the purity.

As they sat there in silence, Craig softly mumbled, “I’m sorry about treating you like that. Not telling you.”

“No, I g-get it,” Tweek said, picking at the twigs on the metal of the merry go round. “I don’t  _ like _ it. I’m p-pretty upset, but I -ghn- understand.” After a second or two more of silence, Tweek decided to speak again. “I’m s-sorry I couldn’t help you before.”

“I don’t think anyone would have been able to do much better,” Craig admitted, his tone flat, yet his words hinting at humor. That, more than anything, made Tweek’s spirits soar. Struck with the urge to just turn around and throw his arms around Craig, Tweek reminded himself of everything that had happened and held still.

As they sat there, touching and yet not nearly as close as they’d been before, Tweek twitched and finally burst, “I d-don’t care what people say about us, Craig!” Running his tongue over his lips, he blond added, in a slightly slower voice, “But I -hgh- feel like we’re… Not acting right.”

“Not like friends, that’s for sure,” Craig agreed, his tone rueful.

For a second, Tweek tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, but then he gave up. Maybe, it was a sign that the conversation belonged at a different time. Instead, Tweek told Craig, “You know Craig, th-this is alright. This makes me feel better, I hope it’s doing the s-same for you.”

Craig just hummed, and even though it wasn’t a verbal response, Tweek felt something inside of him start to piece itself back together.

“He’s not coming back,” Craig said, shaking his head slightly. “I-I want him to, but I know he’s not.”

“I know,” Tweek said softly, before lifting one twitching hand and resting it lightly on top of Craig’s. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t really stopped fighting or ever would. It didn’t matter that neither of them knew heads from tails when it came to their relationship. All that mattered was that they were together, and if that much was true, Tweek figured they could tackle anything.

And they didn’t even have to say anything to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaine is honestly the most beautiful human in the world. They put up with everything I can dish out and more, whether that be stupid jokes or dorky sayings or bad ideas that they spin into good ones. They're wonderful, I love them~
> 
> In other news, Gothicorn, I hope this doesn't hurt your heart so much!!
> 
> Sidda, you're a beautiful child, never change. Your enthusiasm makes me grin from ear to fucking ear.
> 
> Now excuse me while I pass out.


	14. Here, the Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm currently in a seedy ass motel, hiding in the closet, wondering why it smells better than the rest of the room and too scared to ask, but they have free wifi, and so you guys get a chapter.
> 
> On one hand, it's so short, on the other, that's how I used to get a chapter out every day. By writing around 3000 words and not much more XD SO! I suppose it's a trade off, and if you guys'll put up with it, I should be able to keep up with it more easily.
> 
> I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIGI~~ You're a beautiful and kind soul, I hope your day is full of sunshine!
> 
> Enjoy.

“Whatever, it’s probably-”

“Yeah, Kyle, it’s probably  _ bullshit,” _ Cartman mocked.

Rolling his eyes, Craig glanced at Stan, who shrugged, nonplussed. “Look, dude, Wendy might have explained it to me but that doesn’t mean I understood a word of it. She’s crazy.”

From beside the raven-haired boy, Tweek let out an, “Ack!” before exclaiming, “Jesus, th-those girls are crazy! I d-don’t even  _ want _ to know what it is.” His sentiments were shared by the others, Craig included. Despite knowing at least a couple of girls who weren’t entirely insane, by and large, he wasn’t particularly confident in Wendy Testaburger, of all people, to be  _ logical. _

“Bebs seemed to think that it wouldn’t be that bad,” Clyde dismissed, waving a hand. At those words, Craig exchanged a look with Token, who pulled a rueful smile that said without words,  _ Yes, and we totally trust you to be unbiased, Clyde. _ Turning back to face the gym at large, Craig watched Wendy, with the help of Heidi, set up the projector while PC principal scanned the students suspiciously, as if just waiting for one of them to step out of line.  _ Yep, just another Tuesday… _

To be honest, Craig was too tired to care much about any of it. Sure, it would probably be something abysmal that caused a general panic and unrest for the next few days, but he just couldn’t see it mattering. He had too many other things on his mind to care about whatever was about to happen.

The situation between he and Tweek hadn’t particularly improved. They were talking, but everything was uncomfortable, stilted where it had once been smooth. Stripe’s death still hung heavily in the air between them, though thankfully, when he’d broached the subject, Tweek had been more than willing to listen. But the progress they were making, if you could call it that, was slow and awkward. The distance between them felt  _ necessary _ but jarring. Because at the end of the day, he was used to being able to reach out and find Tweek there, having him even two seats away was… weird.

From behind him, someone nudged him in the back with a shoe. “What do you think F- Tucker? Think we’re going to enjoy this?”

Grunting at Kenny’s obvious sarcasm, Craig flatly responded, “You tell me, McCormick, you’re usually the one who’s involved in all the crazy shit.” His words earned him a sound of protest from the sandy-blond, followed by a chuckle.

“Oh, Craig, your accusations  _ wound _ me, and here I thought we were friends!” Leaning on the shoulder of Butters, who was sitting beside him, Kenny crooned, “What do you think, Butterfree? Am I nothing but a troublemaker~”

“Well gee, Ken, I think you’re alright!” Butters insisted, rubbing his fists together. “I mean, everyone gets into a lil’ trouble sometimes.”

Turning, Craig focused his attention on Tweek briefly and found the blond already looking at him. Noticing the way the boy was twitching restlessly, Craig was about to open his mouth to reassure the blond when Tweek burst out, “Ngh- I-it’s gonna be okay, man, Wendy can’t do anything  _ th-that _ bad.” Which, honestly, was more level headed than Craig had expected, and the statement provoked a soft smile.

“You’re probably right,” he said simply, before PC Principal tapped the microphone, drawing everyone’s attention towards him. Facing forward once more, Craig’s face returned to neutral as the Principal began talking.

“Alright everyone, listen up,” he began, his hawk-like eyes quickly scanning the crowd from behind his sunglasses. As Wendy shuffled her cue cards and everyone settled down, PC Principal announced, “Today we're going to be showing you some art from our Asian-American students-DAMMIT LESLIE, SHUT YOUR FUCKING PIE-HOLE!” No one except the aforementioned girl seemed particularly taken about by the outburst. Even Tweek didn’t react, which showed you just how used to the man’s antics everyone had become.

Craig for one, brushed some of the lanky strands of dark hair out of his eyes and tuned out the constant hum of other humans surrounding him. He’d never much liked assemblies, and he wasn’t about to change his mind now. Seemingly satisfied that things were back under control, PC Principal coughed once before continuing. “-from our Asian-American students presented by our student-body president, Wendy Testaburger.”

Recovering her smile after PC Principal’s outburst had scared it away, Wendy brightly said, “Hey guys. As you know, we have several new students here at South Park Elementary.” Vaguely recalling the many times he’d seen the gaggle of Asian girls talking to each other in hushed whispers, Craig waited for the girl to continue with her presentation. “We have been getting to know some of the Asian girls who have introduced us to an art style called  _ Yaoi.” _ Her words were accompanied by the side behind her changing to an image of said word, surrounded by pink flowers.

Already bored, Craig glanced back towards Tweek and found the boy sipping at his coffee, completely oblivious to what was going on. Catching his eye, Craig lifted an eyebrow at the blond and got a soft squeak and a smile in return. During moments like this, the Noirette reflected, he could almost pretend that nothing between them had changed.

Before them, Wendy was continuing with her presentation, her eyes alight as she said, “Yaoi is a blend of emotion and beauty involving two people whose love is looked down upon.” As the other girls let out sounds of intrigue, Craig was tempted to roll his eyes again but resisted, just barely. “The art tries to show that all love is magical,” Wendy insisted, her voice sincere. Which, frankly, was pretty typical of the girl, who loved when things were making a deeper point she could agree with. What Craig didn’t expect, however, was the way that she made eye-contact with him before continuing, “Like in Lisa Akimoto's piece,  _ Tweek and Craig - Forbidden Love." _

_ Wait, what? _

Before Craig could brace himself for the completely unexpected direction the talk had taken, the projector behind Wendy changed and the Noirette’s brain short-circuited. There, standing out in luridly bright color for the whole damn school to see, was a picture of Tweek and him. Except it wasn’t  _ just _ a picture, no, it was a painting of them with their lips locked together in a  _ kiss. _

Around them, the girls all let out squeal of delight, while Tweek accurately reflected what Craig was thinking with a screech of, “Rrr- WHAT!?” Craig wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment, because  _ why the hell would someone even  _ think _ that, much less draw it, and let them throw it up like it’s accurate? _ Confused, and more than a little alarmed, the Noirette looked around at the others, waiting for a punchline that didn’t seem to be coming.

Completely ignoring their horror, Wendy breezily said, “Kelly Zhou goes a bit more whimsical with  _ Craig and Tweek: Moonlight Dance.” _ As the slide changed, Craig’s skin  _ crawled _ at the image of Tweek with ribbon wrapped around him, and himself standing beside the blond, a disturbingly sensual expression on his face.  _ What the hell, I would never look at Tweek like that!! _

As the girls once more  _ aww-ed _ the artwork, Craig frustratedly asked, “Dude, what the fuck?” But even as he said it, the Noirette found himself looking back on his and Tweek’s behavior, the way they’d once acted towards each other, and felt a cold lump of dread settling in his gut. Because no matter how much he absolutely  _ hated _ what he was looking at, Craig Tucker wasn’t so stupid as to pretend he didn’t know where it was coming from.  _ That’s what they were seeing when they looked at us, every time we just acted like ourselves, they thought we were- were...  _

Gay, they thought that Tweek and he were gay.

Honestly, he didn’t blame Kyle’s look of shocked horror as he stared at Craig.

But Wendy wasn’t done yet. “In yaoi art, the seme, or top, is usually dominating the uke, or bottom, as demonstrated in Heather Nishimura's  _ Boizu Rabu.” _ Tweek let out a whimper of what sounded like fear as the new image was displayed. At this point, Craig’s anger was turning to panic as he stared at the perfectly painted depiction of himself wrapped around Tweek from behind while reaching into the boy’s boxers. And by all accounts, Painting Tweek seemed to be enjoying it, which just made Craig’s stomach roll. 

_No, I’m not gay, I’m not fucking_ ** _gay!_** _What is this supposed to even be!? Why on earth are they showing this shit?_ But the panic in his blood kept rising because Craig _knew._ Even though he _wasn’t_ fucking _gay,_ he knew that he and Tweek had always acted close. Strangely close. Uncomfortably so, even. At least, to other people. Had this this really been what people saw when he’d done stupid shit like open Tweek’s coffee thermos or ruffle the blond’s hair? Had they thought that he was shoving his hand into the boy’s pants and doing _God only knew what_ to him when no one was looking? 

As another roll of disbelief rolled through him, Craig faintly heard the scream that Tweek pushed out through his teeth, but he didn’t dare look the blond’s way. After all, look where his concern had got him! Look where trying to be a good friend had fucking gotten him!  _ Stop lying to yourself; there’s a reason you took a step back from him. It’s because you weren’t acting like friends, you were acting- _

Gay.

Fuck…

Through his mix of anger and misery, Craig heard Wendy say, “But yaoi can branch out to other things as well.”  _ Oh god, I don’t want to see, I can’t deal with this any more. _

Behind him, Cartman muttered, “Oh no.”

“As we see here in  _ Lily, Frog, Tweek and Craig." _ It only took one second of looking at the depiction of himself leaning over an almost entirely naked Tweek for Craig’s distress to go straight to sickening fear.

“Fuck this,” he muttered. Shooting to his feet, Craig shoved past the other students, entirely ignoring the yells of PC Principal to  _ get back in his seat _ as he fought to escape the suddenly suffocating room. No one even tried to stop him, they just stared at him with looks of shock, as though trying to figure out how he could possibly have been  _ gay _ without them ever knowing.  _  Fuck, god, no, I can’t deal with this. _ Furious, Craig started to run, almost tripping over several first graders in his dash for the doors.

Then, from behind him, Craig heard a stuttered cry of, “C-CRAIG!!” Stomach dropping at the sound of Tweek’s scream, the Noirette turned around blindly and flipped off the room at large before shoving through the doors and racing down the hallway, away from the mortification he’d just been subjected to.

As he ran, his shoes squeaking over the tile, Craig’s thoughts ran wild. He  _ didn’t _ see Tweek that way! Even though he didn’t act  _ normal _ when it came to Tweek, Craig was just  _ friends _ with the boy. They’d laughed together; they’d hung out together. They’d watched Red Racer and played with Stripe. They’d  _ slept together, _ Tweek curled up against Craig in an attempt to avoid the monsters that constantly haunted him. They’d stood up to Cartman together; they’d fought together. They’d fought  _ each other _ ! Why would anyone think that he and Tweek were together if they’d beaten each other black and blue before becoming friends?!

He didn’t get it at all, but it still made him feel panicked, scared and sick to the pit of his stomach. Remembering his Dad yelling about how close he and Tweek were, how it  _ wasn’t right, _ the Noirette yanked down on the strings of his chullo. What was Craig’s dad going to say when he found out about this, found out that the entire school thought that he was gay. When Thomas Tucker had done nothing but condemn the very idea vehemently at every turn!  _ No, I don’t want this, I hate this, we’re not like that, we’re just friends! _

But what did the truth matter when everyone else thought something else?

“Ghn- Wait! Craig!!” Spinning around, Craig found Tweek stumbling along behind him. Flashes of the images Craig had just seen passed through his head, and he wanted to scream at the blond to get away from him. Leave before someone else accused him of doing that kind of shit with a boy. With his friend. But in the end, he couldn’t quite make the words come out.

Panting, clutching his sides and caving in on himself, Tweek stopped several yards away, his whole body seizing with violent shivers. Craig didn’t even move, he just stood there and stared at the blond, his own breathing labored.

“Craig-” Tweek started, his voice fearful.

“I’m not fucking gay-” the Noirette started, only to have Tweek interrupt him.

“Jesus, I k-know that!” Yanking on his hair, the boy twitched and yelled, “N-neither am I! Oh g-god, that’s way to much pressure!!”

Attempting to swallow down the horror still coursing through him, Craig pushed out through gritted teeth, “But they-  _ They think we are.” _ At his words Tweek tried to take a step towards him and Craig instantly stumbled away, shaking his head vehemently, “Get away! They’re going to think-”

“S-Stop yelling!!!” Tweek snapped shrilly. Shocked at the suddenness of the boy’s words, Craig choked back the uncontrolled emotions that were fighting to get out of him and forced himself to stand still while the blond pulled himself together a little bit better. Struggling to do the same, Craig took several ragged breaths. His thoughts kept beating at the inside of his skull, but he pushed them away, burning as many of them in the back of his head as he could.

Muscles in his jaw tensing, Craig finally pushed out a shuddering, “What. The hell. Just happened.”

Pulling on his hair, biting his lip, Tweek shivered and admitted, “I- I’ve been seeing the Asian girls following us. Rrrr- They’re always t-taking pictures and whispering b-but I didn’t think- Oh god, I didn’t think they’d do  _ this.” _

“I’m going to fucking kill someone for this,” Craig muttered, his tone mutinous. His anger, however, was curtailed by Tweek, who stumbled forward and reached out for him, his eyes wide. 

“D-don’t kill anyone!” Staring down at the blond, Craig felt some of the anger drain out of him. The fear and nausea were still there, still wreaking havoc with his insides, but as he looked down at the boy, noticed the pallor in his cheeks and the way his throat bobbed in fear, the noirette felt some of the overwhelming need to  _ get out _ fade away.

Tweek was still here. Tweek wasn’t running away. And if the blond wasn’t going to hide under a rock, then damnit, Craig could stand beside him. The idea that the entire school though he was gay was horrifying, sure. It made him want to hit something or possibly just never come out of his room again, but running wouldn’t make it go away. No matter how much he didn’t want to deal with the problem, Craig knew that shit had already hit the fan, and now they had to deal with it, because it wasn’t going away.

Breathing out, Craig reigned in the wild emotion that kept screwing with his head and fixed a calm look on Tweek. “I’m not going to kill anyone,” he said softly, attempting to inject some amount of sincerity into the statement. “I’m just- I’m upset.”

Tweek nodded jerkily, his fingers finally falling out of his hair so that he could once again wrap his arms around his chest. “I’m upset t-too,” Tweek mumbled, his face screwing up in distress.  _ We’ve really fucked ourselves over, _ Craig thought defeatedly, remembering countless instances of them walking through the hallway, doing shit like holding hands or simply walking so close together they were practically touching.

“I know, dude,” Craig said, his tone returning closer to his usual, even pace as helplessness swamped him. Somehow, everything had gone to hell in a handbasket, and he couldn’t even pretend to have any control over the situation. Drawing in another breath, he said, “We’d probably have to ask those Asian girls to find out.”

“Then we should!” Tweek instantly pushed. Staring at the trembling boy in silence for a moment, Craig finally let his gaze drop to the floor.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, defeated. “Yeah, we should.”

“Hey, C-craig?” Eyes traveling upward once more, the Noirette found Tweek reaching for him again. Hand freezing an inch away from the taller boy’s hoodie, the blond said, “Y-you know, I don’t  _ care _ what they think.” In an oddly steady voice, he insisted, “People have never liked me much anyway, so it doesn’t matter if they all look at me weird, they did that already. I just want to be friends with you, Craig.”

Chest depressing as a soft  _ oh _ escaped him, Craig found his insides filling with the uncomfortable realization that in the end, he  _ did _ care what people thought, and he desperately wanted to go back to a time when he just  _ didn’t. _ But then again, maybe he’d always cared, and he hadn’t known it. So instead of dealing with those uncomfortable thoughts, the boy just stretched out a hand and softly rested it in Tweek’s hair, slipping it through that wild blond mane and watching as the boy stopped twitching.

“I’m sorry for running out on you like that,” Craig told Tweek, his chest heavy even as he spoke. “I didn’t- I didn’t see that coming, and I didn’t know how to respond.”

“No, it’s fine.” Stepping away from Craig, his breathing leveling out, Tweek squeaked, “I d-didn’t know they’d do that either. I-I’m not-” Shaking his head, letting out an involuntary noise, the blond insisted, “I just wanna be your friend, man, that’s it.”

“That’s all I want too,” Craig insisted.  _ But if they don’t stop, what the hell are we supposed to do? _ Shaking his head against the thoughts, the boy said, “We’ll ask them, and we’ll figure it out.”

“Promise?” Tweek asked in a small voice. 

“Yeah,” Craig said, even though he knew neither of them believed it. “Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaine was a doll and edited this, as usual. They're really the best thing in the whole wide world and literally the reason I can keep writing this~
> 
> Ginger Pinch, I dunno if you keep up with this anymore, but good luck with your mom!! I hope everything goes well~ 
> 
> Also *cackles* LET THE YAOI COMMENCE!
> 
> *absconds*


	15. Craig, Can I Be Your Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boo.
> 
> WElp, I'm now burned out. Just wanted to say right now HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORI AND JACKIE!!! You are both lights of my life, and I'm so happy you're my family. I wish you many many happy years to come!!
> 
> Also, thank you to Angel for inspiring the original Kenny lines Craig quoted in the chapter. You're a constant source of inspiration both in real life and in this story~
> 
> Now, as promised CrazyAssFangirl, the chapter you've been waiting for ;)
> 
> Enjoy.

Tweek had never really thought about relationships before. At least, not for himself.

It wasn’t really a conscious decision one way or another; Tweek had never spent any sort of time thinking about relationships because  _ why would he? _ Even when Craig had briefly dated Bebe, even when Clyde and Bebe had gotten together, there’d been a certain level of detachment. Sure he’d had quite a few emotions about the situation, but that was different. That was in relation to other people.

What Tweek had never contemplated was personally  _ being _ in a relationship.

And even though he couldn’t quite articulate  _ why _ he’d never thought about it, the moment he found himself asking the question, Tweek knew his answer. And the answer was, he couldn’t see himself with someone else.

So when Wendy had started showing the  _ whole school _ pictures of him and Craig together, very definitely engaging in actions that reeked of  _ relationships, _ the blond had been thrust into a potential reality that he really didn’t want. There were so many pieces of the situation that had Tweek terrified, he couldn’t even number them.

Obviously, he was upset because Craig was his  _ friend _ and the idea that everyone thought otherwise was  _ too much pressure!! _ The idea that everyone was watching them at all had the boy wanting to shut down, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with it at all. What if Token and Clyde and Bebe didn’t want to talk to either of them anymore because they were upset about the whole thing? What if they assumed that Craig and he  _ were _ in a relationship and they just hadn’t said anything, and it upsetted them because the two of them hadn’t told their friends? What then!? And that wasn’t even considering the possibility that the whole school might hate Craig and him.

Somewhere among the panic, naturally, there was also the realization that now everyone thought he was gay, but to be honest, that wasn’t even on his list of top ten concerns.

What did concern him, however, was the way Craig muttered mutinously under his breath as he stared down at the drawing he’d taken from Clyde. Depicting the two of them outside, Tweek on a swing and Craig pushing him, the picture was starting to crinkle under the stranglehold the Noirette had on it. “Th-that’s not even a  _ bad _ thing,” the blond whimpered. “Why on earth w-would they make such a big deal out of it!?”

“If I knew…” Craig muttered, his hands clenching before slowly releasing the rumpled picture. “God, why the fuck were they just handing these out? Who’s fucking idea was that?” Despite having calmed down significantly since they’d first run out of Wendy’s presentation, the taller boy was still fuming. To be fair, Tweek didn’t blame him. Their lives had been swiftly turned upside-down, all because some new students were alright at art. But whereas the blond had forced himself to think instead of simply scream and curl up into a small ball so he’d never have to look at other people again, Craig hadn’t been able to drag himself from his own head.

“Ngh- I  _ told _ you,” Tweek mumbled, twitching and staring down at his coffee thermos as he shuffled after Craig. “They’re crazy, man; who  _ knows _ why they act like this!”  _ But if we didn’t act like we do then they wouldn't even look twice at us. God, I knew we were being weird! Everyone’s been staring at us and they all probably hate us for just being friends. Except Stan and Kyle are super best friends, and no one gets upset with them! Why is it us!? _ Letting out a scream of frustration, the boy yanked on his hair hard with one hand till he could feel the strands giving way.

“It’s okay,” Craig lied through his teeth, even though one look at the stressed boy proved otherwise. “We’re going to talk to them, and they’ll tell us what they’re doing, and then they’ll stop.” Tweek hoped so. He’d heard Craig’s strident proclamations about how he  _ wasn’t gay; _ he could tell how much this was affecting the Noirette, and it terrified him to think that something like this could hurt their friendship.

_ I don’t even care! I still want to be friends with him; I don’t care what anyone else thinks! _ Except Tweek was watching the distance between them carefully, making sure not to get too close to the Noirette, and he knew that Craig cared enough for both of them. As long as Craig cared, then he  _ had _ to care. He had to help stop whatever was going on before it got worse.

This was South Park. Things  _ always _ got worse.

As they walked into the entrance hall of the school, Tweek twitched as the kids milling about noticed the two of them and instantly started murmuring.  _ Oh god, they’re talking about us. Why can’t they just leave us alone!? _ Jerking his head over towards the stairs, the blond saw the congregated Asian girls all talking and drawing together and he whimpered softly.  _ If we go over there, what if we make it worse? _

Fear lodging in his already rattled brain, Tweek reached out suddenly and jerked on Craig’s sleeve. Whipping around sharply, the Noirette sharply asked, “What?” Jumping backwards, Tweek glanced over at the Asians then back at Craig, wishing that the boy could just understand without him saying it.

“Jesus, man! W-what if we should just ignore them!?” he squeaked, shivering under Craig’s intense eyes. When the boy’s brow furrowed, Tweek insisted, “Ghn, w-what if it just makes things worse??” Tugging on his hair, he pushed out, “I c-can’t  _ handle _ things getting worse!”

Craig’s expression didn’t soften. Instead he just shoved the drawing of the two of them in Tweek’s face and growled, “Do you think it’s going to get much worse than this? I can’t have people thinking I’m  _ gay, _ Tweek; I can’t.” Tweek almost wished he couldn’t read the fear in Craig’s words. At least then he could have pretended like the boy knew what he was doing, but in the end, they were both clueless.

“Then just t-tell them-” Tweek started, but Craig had already whirled around and started towards the girls. Hanging back, the blond watched twitchily as Craig got in the girl’s faces and held up the dreaded drawing. One out of far too many.  _ I should be down there with him, _ some part of his brain insisted, but Tweek couldn’t get his body to move. He could only watch as Craig cleared his throat to get the attention of the Asians.

“Uhh, excuse me,” he began, his angered monotone cutting through the murmurs of the kids watching the proceedings. “Why are you doing this??” He shook the picture, as if to accent his words, but most of the Asian girls didn’t even twitch. Only one deigned to pay him any attention, pausing in her sketching so she could stare passively at the boy, rivaling even Craig’s usual deadpan.

“Oh, Hi, Craig.” When he waved the paper once more, she smiled faintly and turned towards one of her friends and said something that Tweek couldn’t understand.  _ Jesus, I hate this! _ Starting down the stairs, unable to sit still, Tweek jerked to a halt as another Asian girl answered quickly and the first one gave the second a little smirk.  _ Did they already figure it out?? _

But then she returned to her drawing, as if the conversation was already over. Finally giving in, Tweek shuffled down the stairs and headed towards Craig. As if he’d be able to change what they were doing… “What?” Craig was asking, disgruntled. “Well, what did she say?”

From the top of the stairs, a different girl glanced up and said, “I don't know, that was Korean. I'm Japanese.”  _ Why aren’t they helping us at all? They’re the ones who made everything horrible! _ As his trembling increased, his hands slipped on his thermos and it went tumbling away down the stairs before it rolled out of sight.  _ OH GOD NO!! _ Panicked, Tweek tripped off the stairs and landed on his face before scrambling to his feet only to realize that he had no idea where his thermos was.

Worse, Craig looked like he wanted to hit something, and Tweek  _ definitely _ didn’t want that, because chances were it wouldn’t be someone who deserved it, and rather a window or door, neither of which were fun to hit.  _ What if he gets so upset that he breaks something and it’s all my fault and his parents never let me talk to him again?! I have to do something! _

Letting out a strangled grunt of frustration, Tweek ignored his thermos in favor of slipping across the linoleum floor and almost stumbling into Craig. “What’s going on, huh? Huh?” Turning towards the girls, Tweek pulled at the collar of his shirt as it threatened to choke him. “M-Me and him aren’t together!” Craig glanced sidelong at him, and Tweek felt his nervousness grow.  _ He’s glaring at me, why is he glaring at me!? _ “Why is this happening!?” he demanded, shivering harder as he dug both hands into his hair and yanked hard enough to pull some out.

The first girl glanced up and said something to her friend, but Tweek couldn’t understand a word of it and it only stressed him out more. Glancing at Craig, he found a look of concern ghosting through the anger in the boy’s eyes, and it made him want to scream because  _ I shouldn’t be stressing him out like this I’m his friend! _

Letting out a cry of fear, Tweek screeched, “Everyone thinks I'm gay!” He didn’t even  _ care _ what people called him, because people would hate him no matter what, but he couldn't bare to have Craig upset with him. Then, another horrifying thought hit him and he fisted his hands in his improperly buttoned shirt as he stammered out a cry of, “What. If. M-my parents find out!” But that only made Craig’s brows furrow, and the blond’s insides responded with a painful jolt.

Another girl looked up. “Well, you  _ are _ gay.”

Several other Asians quickly jumped in to add their two cents in, but all Tweek could see was the way Craig flinched at the words.  _ No, no don’t say that! I don’t care what you say about me but if you say it in front of Craig, he’ll hate me!  _ “We’re friends,” Craig said, his voice unsteady,  _ furious. _ “We’re just friends.”

“But you’ve always been more than friends,” the first Asian girl insisted, her expression mildly confused, like she didn’t understand why Tweek and Craig were fighting them. 

“Fuck you; no, we haven’t! We’ve beaten each other up,” Craig ground out, his teeth clenching around the words. He was right, it was  _ true, _ but in this context, Tweek couldn’t stand it. Yeah, they’d fought, so what?  _ What are you trying to say, Craig, that we’re not good enough friends? Because we’ve disagreed? _

Before he could hate himself for his own thoughts, one of the girls vocalized them. “How you feel about a person can change over time. And sometimes you have to get into a few fights to find peace.” Picking her pen up once more, she doodled something else and added, “You two are together.”

Lurching forward unsteadily, Tweek unevenly yelled, “W-we’re not! Jesus, y-you can’t just tell people that they’re -ghn-  _ g-g- _ That they’re something that they’re not!!” Clenching his fists and biting his tongue, Tweek held back a whimper at the looks the girls were exchanging with each other. “STOP ACTING LIKE THIS IT-IT’S TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!!”

“We’re not doing anything wrong; we’re just drawing,” called out one of the Chinese girls from the top of the stairs.

“Well, guess what, your  _ drawing _ is causing a lot of shit so if you wouldn’t mind,  _ stop,” _ Craig spat. “You’re making everyone think I’m just a f- That I’m gay. I’m not gay!” Tweek couldn’t help but flinch and spin around, his hands already back in his hair.

“W-what about what they think about me!” he demanded, his eyes wide and panicked. 

“Not everything is about you,” Craig shot out, his eyes blazing. Stumbling backwards a step or two, the blond felt the resolve in his chest turn to sludge.  _ What did I do wrong? _ He- he hadn’t been making everything about himself, right?

_ Besides, this  _ is _ about me too!! _ “Then don’t -rrr- MAKE IT ALL ABOUT YOU EITHER!!” Tweek yelled, jerking violently and turning back to face the Asians, who were watching them with no small about of interest and excitement. Furious at how easily they could ignore what they were doing to Craig and him, the shorter boy shook his head rapidly from side to side and screeched, “WE CAN BE FRIENDS HOW WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS!!!” 

“Tweek-” Craig started to say, his voice dark. Tweek just brushed him off, too intent on the Asians.

“IF I W-WANT TO HOLD HANDS WITH HIM OR- OR HUG HIM OR IF I LIKE THE WAY HE -GRRR- PATS MY HEAD THEN THAT’S FINE!!” Shaking as he stared at the girls, his blood pounding in his head, Tweek panted out, “It’s  _ my _ business and n-not yours.” Swallowing hard, the trembling boy turned to look for Craig, only to find dark eyes that pulsed with a single minded intensity that chilled the fire in him at once.

“Just shut the hell up,” Craig bit out, his eyes expressing all the emotion his face did not. “Shut up Tweek, you don’t get to speak for both of us. What you’re saying sounds  _ gay.” _ He leveled the word at the blond like it was the worst possible thing he could have said. “I’m not gay! So stop making it sound like I am!” Turning away from Tweek, Craig finished by pointing a finger at the Asians and growling, “Don’t draw  _ anything _ of us again!”

Then then he stormed away, leaving Tweek to yelp and run after him, almost tripping over the stairs in his haste.

“Craig, wait!” Tweek called after the Noirette, cursing his untied shoelaces as he scrambled after his friend. “Ngh- Why are you acting like this man? We h-had a plan!”

“You were the one who-!” Craig stopped his harsh words abruptly and tugged his chullo down over his forehead. “You don’t get how bad this is Tweek, so just… Stop doing stupid shit to make it worse.”

“What did I do?” Tweek demanded, hurrying to keep step with the taller boy. “Jesus man, I- I can’t handle-”

“You can’t handle?!” Craig whipped around and glared at Tweek, hard enough to make the blond whimper in shock if not in fright. “By telling them that, you just went and- And encouraged them! That was the  _ opposite _ of what we wanted to do Tweek, it was exactly what I  _ didn’t _ want to happen. Now the whole  _ town _ is going to find out about this and we can’t do a damn thing about it.” Taking a step back, the Noirette’s usually placid face twisted into thinly veiled dispar. “You go and scream about what’s going to happen if people think you’re gay? At least your parents will just  _ ignore you.” _

Chest heaving, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, Craig looked at the ground and muttered, “This isn’t a game Tweek. We’ve played games.” Pursing his lips together, the Noirette closed his eyes and mumbled, as if recalling the words of someone else, “This time, things are more real, the stakes are higher and shit sucks because some stuff doesn’t change.”

Hugging his arms around his torso, only just now realizing that he’d completely forgotten his thermos, Tweek shivered and attempted to put together a string of words that would make sense, only to fail and remain mute. Scoffing, Craig turned his back towards Tweek and shoved his hands into his pockets.

_ I wish you could not care what they say, just a little bit. _ Tweek thought as he looked up at the dark haired boy.  _ I wish you could be a bit of that shining god I used to think you were. But you’re not, you’re just a kid. We’re both just kids, and we can’t do anything. _

He was about to turn around as well and shuffle back to find his coffee when the clip of someone’s shoes drew his attention and the voice of Mr. Mackey called. “Mmm, Mr. Craig, Mr. Tweek, the Principal’s lookin’ for the two of you, m’kay? So if you’d just come to the office with me, that would be nice.

Head jerking up, Craig flipped Mr. Mackey off, while Tweek clenched his teeth around his involuntary squeak, trying to put on a brave face instead. “Wh-what does he want from us?” Tweek questioned, twitching to the side as he did.  _ I hate the principal, he’s terrifying! _

“Now that wasn’t part of the instructions young man,” Mr. Mackey rebuked, looming over Tweek with his ostrich neck and big haunted eyes. “You’re to come to the office at  _ once, _ m’kay? Otherwise, there will have to be punishments.”

Pulling his middle finger back, Craig muttered, his voice slightly angrier than his usual deadpan that he used when talking to authority figures, “Well I want to see him, so it looks like this is a good time.” Muffling his screech with his own palm, Tweek stared with wide eyes at Craig, unsure what had gotten into him if he would  _ willingly _ put himself in the way of PC Principal. That was suicide, and yet the Noirette looked  _ almost _ calm about the situation.

“W-well that’s good then, come on, m’kay,” Mr. Mackey said, mildly confused but likely pleased that they weren’t fighting.Craig followed directly on his heels, his hands still crammed into his pockets. Seeing no alternative, Tweek hurried along behind Craig, as close to the boy as he could get without making him upset.

Because he’d already made the boy upset, hadn’t he? As Mr. Mackey ushered them into the room where PC Principal sat behind his desk, Tweek found himself thinking over and over what had happened between himself, Craig, and the Asian girls. He’d done something that hurt Craig but he couldn’t understand what. Hadn’t he stood up for himself? Hadn’t he defended both of them to the best of his ability against people he couldn’t comprehend?

But Craig had yelled at him. He’d accused him of  _ encouraging _ the girls, why would he say something like- 

Then, as he sat down, Tweek felt dread settle over him as he understood what he’d done. He’d told them too much, he’d shared things that Craig and he had only ever said to each other.  _ I- I encouraged them, I made it worse. Now everyone’s going to think we really are gay, instead of it just being a big misunderstanding. Oh god, I’ve screwed everything up!! _

Unable to make eye contact with Craig, or for that matter, with PC Principal, Tweek stared off to the side and wished he could melt into his chair. Why had he done that? They would have been  _ fine,  _ but now, his parents and Craig’s parents and the whole school would think he was gay.

_ I- I’m not? _

But did that matter if everyone thought otherwise?

“Alright guys, I know there have been a lot of rumors flying around,” the Principal began, his hands tucked into his arms, his posture as intimidating as ever. Tweek could only twitch and let out soft whimpers as he turned over and over the words  _ At least your parents will just ignore you. _ “Just wanted to check in, see if you have any questions for me.”

_ Will Craig’s parent’s not be okay with it? What would they do to him? _ Then Tweek thought of the monsters that already haunted the Noirette, and he pulled at his hair as fear shot through him. Craig didn’t need another monster, he didn’t have room in his life for anything else that would hurt him.

From beside him, Craig spoke up, his tone angry, adversarial. “Why are the Asian girls drawing pictures of us being gay?” Glancing over at the boy, Tweek let out a grunt of internal turmoil and jerked his hands out of his hair so he could hold them slightly away from his body, tense yet vibrating incessantly. If he’d been able to think past his own guilt and panic, Tweek would have agreed with what Craig had said, but he couldn’t.  _ Why does it even matter Craig, who cares why they’re drawing us! The point is that they’re doing it!! _

As if Craig wasn’t upset, as if it didn’t matter, PC Principal shrugged and kept staring at them, face unmoving. “What’s wrong with being gay? Nothin’ wrong with that.” Which, objectively, was true, but that wasn’t the problem and it stressed Tweek out that this was all the man cared about.

If Craig’s expression was any indication, he felt similarly. “But we aren’t!” he exclaimed, his flat voice raising in volume as he spread his hands, leaning forward in his chair. Then, as if he needed to rub salt in the wound, the boy glanced over at the shivering Tweek, raised a suspicious eyebrow, and said, “I’m not!”

Clenching his fists as a surge of incredulity hit him, Tweek jerked violetly in his seat and glared at the Noirette, useless frustration building up in his head. “I’m not either!” he yelled, shaking his wild mane of blond hair as he spoke. In response, Craig’s own glare solidified, and his jaw set.  _ No, no this isn’t how it’s supposed to be going. _ But Craig was just throwing him under the bus and it wasn’t  _ fair! _ Yes he’d screwed up but they were supposed to be friends. They were supposed to be forgiving!

Oblivious to their argument, or perhaps, unconcerned with it, the Principal swept a hand out and barked, “That is completely irrelevant! Okay?” Tapping two fingers against the desk, the man continued, “What matters, and the reason I brought you in here, is that you understand affirmative consent.” Pointing at both of them, PC Principal gritted his teeth and stared them down, as if daring them to disagree. Mr. Mackey, who was silently standing behind the man, chose that moment to glance over worriedly, as though wondering if the Principal had gone crazy. In Tweek’s mind, the man had.

Exasperated, Tweek threw his hands in the air and squeaked, “Ghn- What’s  _ that?!” _ He didn’t even care, he just wanted to get out of here and  _ talk _ to Craig. Apologize, try to make the boy feel better. Anything. Maybe even get some comfort in return, and start to mend his own mental fragility.

Holding his finger up, the Principal patiently explained,  _ “If _ there is a romantic relationship here, you have to make sure your partner is comfortable with any sexual exploration.”

Eyes widening, Tweek let out a loud  _ “GHA!” _ Sexual exploration?! What?? Why on earth were they talking about something like that??? He didn’t want to do anything with Craig. Hell, he didn’t want to do anything with anyone. He was too young! And why would he want to think about it anyway?! The very idea terrified him!

Craig just glared daggers at PC Principal, which was better than him glaring at Tweek, at least, it was in the blond’s mind.

“Now,” the Principal continued, becoming more animated as he talked. “In a gay relationship it gets a little tricker but you still have to follow some guidelines, alright?”

“But I’m not gay~!” Craig yelled. Tweek was right along with him. Labels be damned, he wasn’t going to do anything like that with Craig! 

But PC Principal had other ideas. Waving his arms, the man exclaimed over the Noirette, “I don’t care about that, bro!” Pointing at Tweek, the man said, much like a drill sergeant, “Tweek, if, and I'm only saying if, at some point you wanted to touch Craig's penis, you can't just go grabbin' for it. Alright? You need to say something like  _ ‘Craig, is it alright with you if I touch your penis?’ _ .” Settling back down, as if this was an  _ alright thing to say, _ the man finished, “Okay? Let's try it out.”

Tweek just stared at him in horror. “NO!!!” he insisted, throwing up his hands in complete confusion.

Instantly leaping down his throat, the Principal shouted back, “YOU WANT TWO WEEKS’ DETENTION INSTEAD?” Slamming his fist down against the desk, the man barked, “THIS SHIT’S IMPORTANT!!!”

Breath coming in heavy, angry pants, his whole body seizing up with drawn out twitches, Tweek stared at Craig and said in a stilted and irate voice, “Craig, can I touch your penis?” The moment the words had left his mouth, he stared down at his lap. Surprisingly though, he felt the energy in the room shift. Because now, Craig’s anger seemed to be directed not at him, but at the PC Principal.

And as the man said, “Okay good,” and they both looked up to glare at him, Tweek felt that even if they were up against an immovable object, at least their collective rage could be an unstoppable force. Completely ignorant to their communal hatred of him, PC Principal said, in a sincere tone, “Now Craig, you might say  _ ‘You may touch my penis. I'm comfortable with that.’ _ .” Neither of them moved, they both just stared the Principal down. Relenting the man ammended, “Or of course, you could say  _ ‘No, you may not touch my penis at this time.’ _ .”

At once, Craig swiveled to face Tweek and said, “No, you may not!” Even though he was glaring at the blond, and Tweek was glaring right back, there was an understanding that passed between them. Despite their problems, and they seemed to be many, PC Principal was a common enemy, and it was easier to hate him instead of hurting each other.

But the Principal just continued, “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Now Craig, what would you say if you wanted to take a gander at Tweek’s asshole?”

Facing Tweek once more, Craig stared at him with those vividly blue eyes and said, with an entirely straight face, “Tweek, may I look at your butthole?”

“Now Tweek-”

“JESUS C-CHRIST NO!” the blond screamed, digging the nails of his fingers into his palm. At this point they weren’t even bothering to look away from each other. They just stared each other in the eye as if to say  _ I bet I can hate this more than you can. _ Craig might be definitely  _ not _ gay, but Tweek wanted to die, so it sort of canceled the other out.

“See, we’re learning,” the Principal praised. “Now Tweek, let’s say you wanted to perform oral sexual acts on Craig that involved his penis. You’d need to ask for consent first, so what would you ask Craig.” The Noirette’s eyes said,  _ do it, I fucking dare you, _ and Tweek wasn’t about to back down from that.

“Craig, may I suck your dick?” he asked venomously, accenting each word with a twitch of his eye.

“Actually Tweek,” Craig responded, his voice equally matter of fact. “I’d rather you  _ not.” _ Then, he turned to the Principal and announced, “And you know what else, I don’t want to fucking do this anymore.”

“YOU’LL WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE, M’kay?” Mr. Mackey snapped, his taciturn face turning to outrage.

“No, I won’t!”

“N-Neither will I!” Tweek announced, standing on his chair so he could properly look PC Principal in the eye. “Rrr- This is s-so wrong! I don’t  _ care _ what you think we are, you don’t get to- to…” His voice sputtered to a halt as he realized what he’d been about to screech.  _ You don’t get to tell us how to live our personal lives. _ Which was what he’d said to the Asian girls.  _ It’s what upset Craig, probably. _

But suddenly, the Noirette picked up the train of his sentence with, “You don’t get to tell me how I treat Tweek in private!” Feeling a swell of courage race through him at those words, Tweek stood a little taller. “So you know what, we’re going to leave.”

Then he got off of his chair and reached out his hand for Tweek’s. It was stiff, it was awkward as hell, but it was an outstretched hand and Tweek wasn’t sure what to do but reach out and take it, hopping off the chair and to the floor. There was no helpful arm that shot out to catch him, but Craig kept him upright and when Tweek looked at him, the Noirette tightened his fingers around the smaller boy’s.

“No, you’re going to stay right where you are!” the Principal barked, even as they walked towards the door. “I don’t care that you’re  _ gay _ bro, you’re going to stay right here and listen to these important consent rules!!”

Catching Craig’s eye, Tweek’s scary front slipped a little and he bit his lip, silently asking what they were supposed to do. In answer to the unspoken question, Craig took a breath and gave him a nod.  _ Go, _ that expression said.  _ I have stuff I still want to say. _

Resuming his scowl, reaffirmed in his own resolve, Tweek have several jerky nods before shooting PC Principal one more death glare and leaving the room. The moment Craig closed the door however, the expression fell from his face as he struggled to comprehend how bad things had gotten.

Craig was right, things were going to get worse, and Tweek had no idea how bad that worse was going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that did not go how I intended OH WELL THAT'S HOW LIFE GOES.
> 
> Thanks to Jackie for getting me to get off my lazy ass and actually do some writing. You're invaluable when it comes to that tough love that's hard to get but good to receive.
> 
> Thanks to GothicornQueen for letting me throw some ideas at her. You're awesome my darling! And thank you to Blaine for helping me work out all the details of those in-between scenes that are so important. You are a blessing that I couldn't do without. <3
> 
> Until next time~


	16. The Aggression of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm crying, I did it.
> 
> Guys, I'm never dropping this story, I don't care how long it takes me. I've had so much shit happening in my life, and most of it is bad, but I'm not ever dropping this. If you're willing to stick with me, it'll eventually be done. And then we can all smile a bit, because our boys will be happy.
> 
> Just, please, tell me what you think. Hearing from you guys means the world to me.
> 
> Enjoy.

_ “Why the hell do you keep treating us like we’re- Like we’re gay?” _

_ “Now look here Craig Tucker-” _

_ “No you look here!” he snapped. “I’m not gay! Tweek’s not  _ gay. _ Stop trying to treat us like we are when we’re not!” _

_ “Listen Tucker, I am fully supportive of any life style you want to pursue!” the Principal yelled right back, his eyes flaming behind his sunglasses. “But you and Tweek need to stop trying to cover up something that’s perfectly natural, okay. No on is going to judge you for wanting to touch another guy’s-” _

_ “Christ almighty, we’re not  _ gay!” _ Craig could feel his blood starting to boil. “You keep acting like we are, why? What did we ever do?” _

_ “I wouldn’t treat you like this if you didn’t act like it, Tucker.” _

Groaning under his breath, Craig stared miserably at the wall of the empty classroom. He shouldn’t be here, he should be in class. But every time he thought of it, he thought of Tweek, and it made his hair stand on end. No, it wasn’t that he was scared. He wasn’t scared of Tweek at all, but he was fucking  _ terrified _ of what people would think if he were to so much as look at the boy after their disastrous trip to the office.

It was too much, this whole month had been stressful beyond anything he’d experienced before. Sure this wasn’t the game, he wasn’t running around worrying about zombies or nazis or Elves or Cartman anymore, but at least then, there had been a bad guy. At least then, Tweek and he had been able to stand up against the forces of evil and prevail against  _ something. _ Now though…

Who was he even fighting? The school? Tweek?

Himself?

Honestly, Craig wasn’t sure it even mattered anymore. He was so completely  _ screwed _ it didn’t bear thinking about. There was no need to wonder what his parents would say if they thought he was… was  _ gay.  _ If he wasn’t strung up, he’d be lucky. Logically he told himself he’d never been sent to the hospital, but there was always a first time.

Gritting his teeth together, the Noirette dug a hand under his chullo and gripped the lanky hair that met his fingers. Eventually, he figured, he’d get so stressed over the situation, he’d pass straight through blind panic into a twisted calm, but he hadn’t gotten there quite yet. Usually he sort of accepted the fact that life rolled off of him, but right now, it was all starting to stick.

_ Why does it have to be Tweek? _

The only answer was another question.

_ If not Tweek, then who else? _

Who else would be his partner in this make believe relationship. Who else would the world target for more pain and suffering? Who else would receive such unrelenting shit without ever having done anything to deserve it. Yet by the same token, Craig had to admit, there was no one he’d rather have to go through this with. If anyone was going to stand at his side, he wanted it to be Tweek.

But he didn’t want people to think they were together.

Groaning aloud, the boy slumped over and stared down at the desk he was sitting on. School wasn't supposed to be this exhausting. They were only in fifth grade, they should be having fun or something, not worrying about something as  _ big _ as this. Yet here he was, feeling like there wasn't enough strength in his body to even move. Only a month into the damn year, and he already wanted it to be over.

The door opened, and for a moment, Craig had a sudden rush of hope that Tweek had found him, but that was dismissed rather quickly as he saw two entirely different people standing in the door. Kenny, as he probably should have expected, and Damien of all people. Grunting in acknowledgement, the Noirette went back to staring at the desk, not bothering to tell either of them to fuck off or otherwise.

"Don't give me that Fucker," Kenny chided, shutting the door behind him and ambling further into the empty classroom. "I go to all this trouble to come see you, and all I get is a grunt?" He shook his head before glancing up at the ceiling and stretching a strange smile across his face. "I even brought Hellboy here as cover, I'm impressed with myself~"

"Is this just your job now, finding me when things go to hell and making witty comments?" Though he sounded resentful, Craig was at least somewhat grateful. The Sandy-blond was good at what he did, and Craig couldn't deny that he helped more than he hurt nowadays. Glancing up, Craig pulled his hat back down over his forehead and watched as Kenny lounged across a couple desks and folded his arms behind his head. The boy looked so  _ calm _ and yet the Noirette knew just how much could be going on inside that mind.

"Admit it, if that were my job, I'd be doing marvelously at it," Kenny purred, turning his head and giving Craig a grin. After a moment however, when Craig's expression didn't change, the Sandy-blond dropped the smirk. "Yeah, the school's kind of exploding, isn't it? We're not  _ used _ to this, Tucker, no one is quite sure what to do. You should hear Stan and Kyle, they're so  _ confused, _ it's almost funny."

Eyes wandering to Damien, who was frowning at the two of them as if trying to figure out what they were talking about, Craig muttered, "I don't care what they're saying, I don't care what  _ any _ of them are saying, because they're all saying the same thing."  _ They all think I'm gay. _ He bit his tongue and held it back, but it lingered in the back of his head, the ugly truth he hated to acknowledge.

"I fail to see why you're upset," Damien muttered, sounding irritated that he didn't understand. "There's nothing wrong with having a relationship with Tweek, or not having one. Why is this an issue at all?" Craig just stared at the son of Satan, dumbfounded at how utterly blind to the situation he appeared to be.

Kenny wagged a finger in Damien's direction. "Ah, but that's not how things work up here Damien, people are all  _ touchy _ about things they don't understand, and trust me, this has everyone more confused than ever." His eyes shifted back to Craig. "Especially the stars of the show. Wouldn't you agree, Craig?"

Digging his hands into his pockets, the tall boy mumbled something noncommittal in Kenny's direction before falling silent once more. He didn't know what Tweek was thinking, he didn't have a damn clue. One moment, he was sure that he and Tweek were in perfect agreement, and then he went off and said something that Craig would have had no way of anticipating. He couldn't even talk to Tweek because his own brain was trying to kill him. Yet he wanted to, he wanted to know that despite how bad things looked, everything would be alright.

As if reading his mind, Kenny hummed, “You know Tweekers was pretty antsy when he saw me leaving. I think he knew I was coming to find you. He was wriggling and squirming, but it’s probably for the best he stayed behind, right?”

Jolting upright more quickly that he'd intended, Craig stared at Kenny as he felt a rush of emotion run through him.  _ No, I want him to come, I want to talk to him! _ All too soon, however, the crushing weight of reality came crashing back over him and he chastised himself for being so stupid. Despite this, one of the sandy-blond's eyebrows lifted slowly. “Oh, I see that expression Tucker. You wanted him to come? How selfish.”

_ Oh what the hell- _ “Fine, then let me be selfish," Craig pushed out, clenching his fists in his pockets. "I’ll apologize later."

Kenny was silent for a moment, his bright blue eyes fixed on Craig intensely, then he softly started, "What if-" Pausing, he shook his head and let out a slight laugh. "Nevermind. Just remember Craig-" He slipped off of the desks and wound his way around them towards the Noirette. "Tweek is never going to stop being your friend. No matter what happens, he's going to be there. Neither of you are quite ready for this, but you'll get through it." Snapping off a pair of lazy fingerguns at Craig, the boy said, "And I'll be around too, for what that's worth."

"Thanks," Craig mumbled, wishing that Kenny could be a little less cryptic, but knowing it was a lost cause. As it was though, he sort of got what the boy was trying to say and they helped settle his turning stomach. Eventually, no matter how bad things got, they'd get better, and Tweek and he would still be there on the other side. If nothing else, he could cling to that.

Giving Craig a lazy salute, Kenny took a couple steps back and said, "You're being hit with a lot Fucker, but you'll make it through." He would, Craig knew he would, but hearing it out loud somehow made it more real. "You've broken before, but this, it isn't enough to break you. Trust your ol' Kenny, he knows what he's talking about."

Craig snorted. "Sure you do."

"Doubting me Craig?" Kenny held a hand to his chest in mock offense. "How  _ could _ you, after all I've done for you."

"Doesn't make you perfect," Craig said, slipping off of the desk and looking down at the sandy-blond, who admittedly was only a few inches shorter. "That just makes you a smart ass."

"No, it makes me a wise-ass," Kenny corrected, smirking devilishly. "And it makes you a dumb-ass for not believing me."

"Now you're just being an asshole," Craig informed Kenny, amused but only showing it with one raised brow.

"Right back atcha~" Kenny cheekily quipped, before giving a flourish of his fingers and doing a twirl. "Besides, you wish you made assholishness look this good."

"Oh, totally," Craig drawled sarcastically.

Kenny gave a cackle and looked back over his shoulder at Craig. "See, things aren't all bad. It'll get better Tucker." Then he looped his arm with one of Damien's and pulled the still confused Hellspawn after him.

Watching him go, Craig thought back to that summer, when he'd been able to hang out with Tweek and Kenny without worrying about anything else, and he sincerely wished he could get that time back. Yet in the end, Kenny was right, because it would get better. Yes, he had a lot going on. He'd lost his closest friend and Stripe in a matter of days, but he'd figure things out with Tweek, and he'd figure out how to get the school to leave them alone. And then he'd have time to feel sad about Stripe.

Into the silence, Craig softly asked, "Hey Tweek, what does  _ friends _ even mean, because... I don't know if I know anymore."

When no one answered back, the Noirette stood tall, pulled his chullo down over his forehead, then turned and walked out of the empty classroom.  


))))-((((

He and Tweek walked home in silence.

It wasn't an awkward silence persay, more a commiserative silence. Neither of them were in a mood to speak much, and neither seemed too inclined to try to do something unpleasant. When they'd walked out of school together, everyone had watched them and whispered, but at this point, Craig was too mired in exhaustion to pay attention to them. It helped that Tweek didn't either. He just twitched and bit his nails, as silent as one could expect Tweek to get.

When they stopped at Tweek's door, Craig noticed the boy's parents standing in the window, which was exceptionally weird, but the blond was too busy looking up at the Noirette to see them. Pulling his gnawed lips into a firm line, Tweek shakily said, "It'll -ghn- be okay."

"Yeah," Craig agreed tiredly, too drained to say more. Then they just... Parted ways, Tweek up to his house, and Craig off to his own. It felt so distant, but neither of them knew how to change it.

As the Noirette dragged himself into his own house, he froze as a bolt of apprehension shot through him. Stiffening, the boy hovered in the doorway, quietly looking around the room, trying to see if this was a trick, if his parents were going to come crawling out of the woodwork, but nothing happened. The house was as silent as ever, hell, his mom wasn't even home yet. Though it left his body tingling with adrenaline that he hadn't needed, Craig couldn't do anything but step inside and shut the door behind him.

Eyes still shifting around, just in case he'd missed something, Craig headed up the stairs, knowing that he probably had homework to do but unable to imagine actually completing a damn thing.  _ Fuck, why does everything have to be so goddamn dramatic all the time. Why can't things just be normal for once? _ Gritting his teeth, the Noirette shook his head and pushed into his room.

"Finally! I'll never understand why you won't take the bus!" Blinking, Craig stared down his nose at his sister, who was sitting on his bed, arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on her face.  _ Oh boy, I really don't have the energy to deal with this... _ Ruby Tucker was a handful at the best of times, and right now was certainly anything but that.

"Ruby, get the fuck out of my room," Craig said flatly, his eyes boring into his sister's. The girl just stared back at him with equal defiance. Tossing her strawberry blond locks out of her eyes, the little seven-year-old stuck her chin out and waited for Craig to cave in. Which he wasn't about to do. "I swear to god," he repeated, his voice rising in volume. "I'm not joking."

"No, because you don't know how to make a joke," Ruby quipped back, her entire expression one of calculation. "Which is why I  _ know _ that they weren't kidding when they said that you were gay. Because you don't know how to  _ kid. _ "

_ What? _

Eyes going dark, Craig demanded, "Where the hell did you hear that?" His sister didn't cower away from him though, he'd never be able to scare her, even if he tried, and to be honest, he wasn't going to try very hard. That being said, he wasn't going to have his  _ sister _ going on about this bullshit too, not when he'd dealt with it all day and didn't have the energy to deal with more.

Ruby waved a dismissive hand. "At school, idiot." As if it had been obvious. As if  _ everyone _ knew about the fiasco that had happened.  _ Shit, she's in first grade now. Of course she'd know. _ Almost like she had read his thoughts, Ruby slowly said, "I sat through the  _ same _ presentation you did, and unlike you, I didn't pussy out half way through and run away. There was some  _ very _ interesting art."

Groaning, Craig yanked his chullo down over his forehead and said, "Will you kindly  _ not _ talk about it ever again. I'm not gay, alright? So don't say that I am." The words came out forcefully, and Ruby's eyebrows cranked up towards her hairline skeptically. She'd gotten that look from their mother, and Craig hated how perfectly she could mimic it. Grinding his teeth, the Noirette took a decisive step into his room, dropped his backpack, then crossed his arms and stood as tall as he could before his sister, saying without words that he wasn't impressed.

Crossing her arms as well, mimicking his body language, the girl tilted her head to the side and primly responded, "Oh, you're not gay? Why don't you tell that to Tweek?" Craig's fists clenched. He didn't need this, Ruby was too good at pushing his buttons for him to be able to survive this conversation.  _ Don't you bring up Tweek, don't you mention him like you can use him against me, we're both fucking miserable! _ But... he wasn't about to say that, was he?

"I did tell Tweek, and he agreed," Craig said, his voice flat and irritable. "Neither of us are gay, you  _ know _ that Ruby, you live in the same damn house as me." Predictably though, the girl just shrugged, as if the matter was up for debate.

"Actually Craig, the reason I think you're gay is  _ because _ I live with you."  _ Okay, that's it. _ Letting out an exasperated sound, Craig turned around and left his room, sick of the conversation.  _ I'm not gay, I don't act gay. Tweek and I are just friends, why does everyone have to think otherwise! _ Except his sister hadn't even mentioned Tweek in that sentence, and that somehow made it worse.

"No, get back here!" Ignoring Ruby, Craig thumped down the stairs, his footsteps frustratingly quiet for how much force he wanted to be putting behind the actions. "I'm not done with you Craig Tucker!" She said it like their parents did, like she had any sort of actual authority over him, and it only left him more irritable.

"Yeah? Well I'm done with you!" Craig yelled back over his shoulder, a scowl set into his face. "If you know me so well, then you shouldn't be calling me a- You shouldn't be saying I'm gay!"  _ Fuck, I'm so tired of this. It hasn't even been a day and I already don't want to have to deal with it. _

Vaulting over the banister so she could crash onto the couch, something she was specifically not supposed to do, Ruby cut Craig off at the mouth of the stairs and snapped, "I can say whatever I damn well want to you because you're my brother, and I was  _ trying _ to congratulate you before because you've finally admitted it!" Staring at her in open-mouthed horror, Craig snapped his jaw shut and pushed past her, shoving his sister out of the way.

"I didn't admit shit because I'm not gay," Craig repeated. He was starting to sound like a broken record, scratching over the same useless few lines in an attempt to get somewhere with them. "You and the rest of the goddamn school can fuck off already!" He was so goddamn  _ frustrated _ and he hated that he couldn't do anything about it. No, he was just stuck with a sister who believed all the lies and a mind that wouldn't let him calm down.

As he sat down on the couch, a scowl etched into his face, his sister stood in front of him and crossed her arms, cocking a hip as though she were seventeen and not seven. "Craig, the teacher told us, there's nothing wrong with being g-"

_ That's it. _ "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT OUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO DO TO ME IF THEY THINK I'M GAY?!" Craig roared, shooting back off of the couch and towering over his sister. "DO YOU HAVE ANY  _ IDEA-" _ Breathing heavily, the boy stood there, his hands shaking, the thoughts and fears he'd been holding back all day slowly leaking into his brain. "Do you know what they'll do?"

His sister didn't answer for a long moment, then she sighed. "Look, Craig-" she tried, but he wasn't ready to listen to her.

"No, don't you try and fucking  _ justify _ them or- or pretend it's not all bad. They'll kill me, Ruby. I  _ can't _ be gay. I'm not! But if I was, I couldn't!  So don't look at me like you know what I'm going through or whatever bullshit you're thinking, because it's so much worse than you know." Shaking his head, shutting his mouth to keep from babbling anymore, the stressed Noirette looked around, helpless, before sinking back to the couch and putting his head in his hands. "I'm so screwed..."

"I don't care, big brother," Ruby said frankly. Her voice was hardly sympathetic or even pitying, it was just soft. "You can be whatever you want, I don't care."

"They do," Craig croaked, his usual deadpan suffering.

"You don't  _ know _ how bad it'll be," she attempted, sitting next to him, her face falling from the firm expression of before.

"Yeah, I do," he pushed out. "And so do you."

Ruby fell silent at last, and Craig let out a soft curse under his breath before pulling off his chullo and rubbing his fingers through his hair roughly. "I don't want to deal with this," he mumbled, his body sagging as the fight left him once more.

Tentatively, Ruby said, "I mean it Craig, if you  _ were _ gay, and were with Tweek, I really wouldn't care. You two are already really close, it wouldn't be that different, you know?" Before he could counter her, the girl held up a hand and insisted, "I know our parents wouldn't be happy, but I'm not talking about them. I'm trying to say that  _ I'd _ still be there for you."

As the wind drained from Craig's sails, he glanced over at his sister, who watched him with steady eyes. Sometimes, he forgot the fact that both he and his sister had stood shoulder to shoulder against their parents for years because they never really talked about it. This right here, as far as Craig could remember this was the most they'd ever vocalized the situation, and the look on his sister's face reminded him of his own solidly belligerent deadpan.

"I-" he started to say, when the back door opened. Freezing, Craig slowly turned towards the door and listened as many bags were shifted to the counter before heavy footsteps moved towards the doorway.  _ Fuck... _ As Craig's dad pushed the door open, the Noirette felt a wave of ice pass over him. For a moment, he just stared at his father in silence. In those eyes, he could see a storm brewing.  _ He knows, _ Craig thought faintly, unsteadily.  _ He knows about Tweek. _

But then Thomas Tucker turned away from him and walked towards the stairs, entirely ignoring his son.

Drawing a shaky breath, Craig waited for his dad's footsteps to fade into his parent's room before finally moving. Glancing over at his sister, the Noirette found a bitterly fierce look in her eyes as she said, without words,  _ We'll make it together. _

Craig just shook his head and stared at the blank TV, wondering how long it was before everything inevitably went to shit.

Doubtless, it would be too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohshit. Well, at least he's alive. For now. Thanks to Goth for sticking by me as I worked this all out and letting me ramble to her for an uncomfortable length of time. Why she puts up with me, I'll never know.


	17. Remember When

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heck. I uh, I moved. And it's so much better. 
> 
> Thank you to HagSpice for taking me in under your wing. You and your cats are going a long way towards healing my tattered insides.
> 
> Blaine, thank you for sitting through me writing this, that means the world to me.
> 
> Hopefully, chapters will get more frequent?
> 
> Enjoy.

"Hello son, how was your day at school today?"

That was the first sign that something was horribly wrong. The moment he'd walked through the door, Tweek found himself surrounded by his parents, who were smiling from ear to ear. Cowering back against the paneled wood, eyes flickering in wary confusion between his mom and dad, the blond twitched hard and squeaked out, "Ngh- Jesus! W-what do you want?"

His parents just smiled back at him, both with something approaching warmth. It was off; they were always off, but they were actually focusing on him. His mom's eyes weren't as glassy as usual, and his father's face was actually mobile, instead of frozen in that permanently pleasant smile. But it wasn't reassuring; in actuality, it was terrifying.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing, Tweek," his mother twittered, her voice as faint and disconcerting as ever. But how long had it been since she'd actually said his name? Feeling like the ground was falling out from under his feet, the blond stumbled away from the door, head swinging back and forth between his parents as he moved, as if waiting for them to pounce.

"Why aren't you at the shop??" Tweek asked, shivering and quickly spinning so he could keep his parents in view.  _ Why are they here looking at me like this? Did they finally get replaced with aliens that are just wearing their skin? Jesus, that's so horrifying!~ I'm already so stressed, I can't deal with this! _

"You're only going to be ten once, son," Richard announced, his smile attempting to widen only to remain in the same position it always was.

"We love you," his mother agreed, holding her husband’s arm and tilting her head slightly.

_ He got my age right… _ Tweek felt himself to shake in earnest, worse than he had in ages. His parents never  _ ever _ told him they loved him, not in that tone of voice. Not that he could remember. They just kept staring at him blankly, like they were genuinely happy, but they were never  _ happy _ they were broken why weren’t they acting broken?!

_ Oh god- _ "W-well.... I HAVE HOMEWORK!" Yanking on his hair, Tweek took several lurching steps forward before dashing up the stairs, hoping that he could get away from his parents before they decided to devour him and turn him into an alien in a flesh suit as well. Because there was no other explanation. When had they  _ ever _ acted like this before? It wasn't  _ normal _ they weren't supposed to do this, he couldn't handle it!

Slamming his door behind him, the blond listened and waited for his parents to move. To do something but he didn’t hear a thing, and it scared him.  _ Come on, please move. Please do something. Don’t just stand there, I don’t know what to do. I- I can’t even get to Craig, can I? _

Tweek’s eyes twitched over his room, like a laser, like a convict looking for a way off of death row. He didn’t want to have to deal with this, he’d  _ dealt _ with it all day, but he  _ hadn’t,  _ had he? Not well enough, that was for sure. Remembering the way Craig had lashed out at him, even though neither of them had been at fault for the disaster, the blond whimpered softly.

Hands creeping up towards their usual vice, Tweek yanked on the strands of his hair, trying and failing to release the pressure valves in his head. _I just don’t want to have to think about this anymore!_ Swallowing hard, the boy stumbled forward, nervous and tired and ready for it to be over. _How long did it take for everything to fall apart? Jesus, I didn’t even last till halfway through school._ “Ngh-” Shivering, Tweek jerked his head around to stare at the door in fear. And now his parents were acting weird, what was he supposed to do about that!?

Usually, he would have either locked himself away in his room or gone to Craig’s house. But Craig didn’t want anything to do with him right now, did he? Whimpering, hating that _everything_ was yanking his friend away from him, the blond stared around his room, trying to find something to latch on to. Anything to distract him from the thoughts about his situation that might’ve left him immobile.

But everywhere he looked, there was evidence of Craig. The boy’s sweatshirt that he’d left at Tweek’s house a few weeks ago, the drawings on the boy’s wall that reminded him of the Noirette. Hell, even the Lego Stripe that still sat ensconced on his desk was enough to make him yank at his hair. _This isn’t fair!! Craig just lost Stripe and now this is happening! Don’t we get a break? Doesn’t he get a break??_

No, neither of them ever got to breathe. Because that would just be too much to ask for. Shaking his head, trying to hold back the fear that kept clouding his head, Tweek sucked in several lungfuls of air before mumbling to himself, “It- It’s gonna be- We’ll be okay.” Even to his own ears, it sounded weak. Maybe _especially_ to his own ears. What if they weren’t okay, what if this destroyed everything? _I just wanted to be friends with him. That’s all. That’s the only thing I’ve wanted since I_ met _him._

Thinking back to those days, when Craig had been a shining beacon, everything that Tweek never would be, the blond felt his insides twist. He’d thought Craig was perfect, and maybe the Noirette wasn’t, but he’d _believed_ it. Even then, Tweek had thought that maybe someday he’d be able to look at his parents and not be afraid, just like Craig Tucker, but now Craig was scared and upset, and the blond couldn’t forget the way the boy had talked about his situation.

_ At least your parents will just ignore you. _

Everyone thought they were gay.

Tweek wanted to cry.

Stumbling away from his door, his footsteps lurching and awkward, the boy wobbled and sank to the floor, his lip between his teeth and his eyes wide and staring. After everything, after being pushed away from Craig by the Noirette himself, after suffering through the whole year previous, despite all the attempts to set things straight, he’d failed. He’d failed himself, but he’d also failed Craig. He’d lost to the things in his brain that insisted he didn’t deserve anything good in life. He’d  _ failed. _

The screech escaped him before he knew what was happening. “NO!” Head flying up, the blond wound fingers into his hair and yanked at it viciously, trying to make things stop yelling in his head. “NO NO -NGH- GOD NO!!” Falling over, landing on the legos spread out everywhere, Tweek screamed, trying to drown out the voices that kept whispering to him. But for all his screaming, he couldn’t.

“I’M NOT ANYTHING, CRAIG’S NOT GAY, I DIDN’T WANT THIS TO H-HAPPEN!!” Shaking harder, his insides slowly crumbling under the weight of his own lungs, which were too full of air for his chest to contain them, Tweek shrieked again, hating everything that had happened that day and hating himself for just letting them happen. He’d done everything he could, but in the end, all he could be was a useless  _ spaz _ who couldn’t do  _ anything. _

_ Make it stop make it stop!!  _ But it wasn’t stopping, all he could think was how little everyone had cared when the world had been crumbling around him and Craig.  _ Jesus I was so selfish, I- how could I just leave him without saying anything, without trying to make it better. _ They’d been fighting, right? But over what? Over how stupid Tweek had been? Why had he let that stop him from trying to help Craig??

What if he couldn’t help Craig?

His throat closed at that thought.

“Tweek dear?” Jerking upright, his hands never leaving his hair, Tweek found his mother there, smiling at him and holding a mug of coffee in her small, doll-like hands. “I made you some coffee, I hope your homework is going alright~”  _ She- she has to know I’m not doing homework. Do they just not hear me anymore? _

Did anyone?

Craig did, but Craig wasn’t here.

Struggling to his feet, Tweek swallowed hard and walked towards his mother, shuffling his untied shoes over the carpet in small, awkward steps that reflected just how badly his brain was doing. Reaching out, Tweek mumbled, “Th-thank you,” before receiving the mug of warm steaming coffee. Staring down into the placid surface, the blond twitched and bit his tongue at the way the liquid reflected his trembling state. He was always shivering, but it usually wasn’t quite this  _ bad. _

“Of course sweetie, if there’s anything you need, you just tell us. Your father and I will be downstairs,” his mother responded in her whisper thin voice. Softly smiling, her face practically creaking as porcelain tried to move, Tweek’s mom slowly backed up and closed the door in his face, leaving Tweek alone once more.

Though he knew the coffee would probably only make things worse, Tweek lifted the mug to his lips and drained half of it right then and there, attempting to settle some of the nerves attempting to escape from his body. Losing himself momentarily to the sensation of heat filling his body, the blond shivered as spikes of whatever his parents put in the coffee hit him, allowing him to breathe for a moment. He wasn’t gonna sleep, but he hadn’t been about to sleep anyway, so maybe this was fine. And if not fine, then good enough.

At least if he was focusing on drinking his coffee, he could pretend to ignore the rest of his life.

_ You know that it doesn’t go away dude. _

Spinning so fast that his coffee sloshed over his wall, Tweek let out a groan. “N-No! Not you! Not now, I c-can’t deal with this!!” Sipping at his drink rapidly, the bond insisted between swallows, “Everything with Craig is  _ horrible _ and I -rrr- really screwed things up!! You can’t show up now, I-” Words choking off in his throat, the boy let out another distressed sound and tried to drown his problems in coffee.

Mental Craig just stared at him from the blond’s bed, his chullo pulled low down over his forehead.  _ I’ve got a lot going on Tweek, you know that. _ Oh god, of  _ course _ he knew that, but hearing it didn’t help him figure it out any further.   _ But… _ The mirage slipped off of Tweek’s covers and walked towards the other.  _ So do you. _

“Yeah no shit, Craig,” Tweek mumbled, even though it wasn’t his friend and just his own fucked up brain. “It’s  _ our _ relationship th-that everyone is pretending exists, n-not just yours.” He didn’t mean to sound resentful, but he  _ hated _ everything about this and seeing Craig here wasn’t making it any better. That’s what what he thought, but he still felt some of the overwhelming emotion dribble out of him.

_ Yeah, it’s ours, and you’re trying to deal with it all on your own. _ Nibbling on his lip, Tweek peered up at the image of Craig, knowing the words were true but not quite able to believe them. Craig just stared down at him, his shimmering eyes unblinking. For a moment, Tweek just sank into that deep blue, but then he was pulling himself out and sucking down the rest of his coffee, needing to do something before he went crazy.

“But you- You’ve got other things!” Tweek squeaked, repeating the words he’d heard over and over again that day. 

_ Yeah, but this is still our problem. We’re going to fix it Tweek. Not just you, not just me. Us. _ Tweek couldn’t  _ feel _ the hand that the shiny image of Craig ran through his hair, but he shivered all the same.

“Tweek~?” Jerking around, Craig vanishing without another word, the blond let out a yelp and dropped the empty coffee mug that was still clutched in his hands. As it rattled and rolled away across the floor, the boy darted towards the door and struggled with the knob before throwing it open. Sticking his head out, Tweek looked for the source of his dad’s voice, before realizing it had come from downstairs.

Scampering out of the door, the boy stuck his head around the railing and yelled, “W-whAT IS IT?!”

“Dinner sweetie~” Tweek’s mother twittered. Looking at the clock on the wall, Tweek wanted to screech. He didn’t want to deal with this at four in the day when he wasn’t in a mood for anything but attempting to rip all the stupid thoughts from his brain one by one, but he wasn’t sure what to do. So it was with shaking footsteps that the blond headed down the stairs, wishing he could simply melt into them.

As he rounded the corner, the boy stared at his parents, who were already seated and smiling at him happily. Twitching, the blond let out a soft sound of distress, and watched incredulously as the two of them exchanged a knowing look, as though his reaction meant something. What, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Pouring coffee into his mug for him, Tweek’s mother insisted, “Come and sit down, you wouldn’t want your food to get cold.” Slowly, the blond moved his way towards the table, his mistrust of the situation plain and clear on his face. Clambering up into his chair, Tweek stared down at his mash potatoes and fried carrots in mild distress that only increased as his parents stared at him expectantly, like he was supposed to eat first.

Jerking his gaze between the two of them, Tweek shook his head and twitched before snatching up his fork and knife. As if this was their cue, the other two started eating, like absolutely nothing was wrong.  _ But everything’s wrong. They’re acting so weird, and I’m just sitting here, and what am I supposed to do?! _ Shaking growing more pronounced, Tweek tried to cut into the turkey on his plate only to whimper in frustration.

Dropping his utensils, the blond lurched forward and attacked his mug of coffee, drinking the whole thing in moments. But even this didn’t calm him down, no, he was too far gone at this point. Maybe, if he’d been able to talk to his screwed up mental version of Craig for long enough, he would have calmed down, but he’d been jarred out of that, and now he was stuck here. With his insane parents and their insane ideas and their little looks that could mean  _ anything. _

The moment he’d set his coffee mug down, his parents stared at him again, pausing in their consumption of their food so they could watch him intently.  _ No, don’t do that, stop looking at me, just eat! Just ignore me like you always do!! _ Frustrated with them, Tweek snatched up his utensils and held them in front of him like they were some sort of defense. Seemingly satisfied, his parents continued what they’d been doing before.

Under this kind of pressure, Tweek was surprised he wasn’t exploding. He half expected his brain to burst and scatter everywhere. Or maybe his lungs would finally expand too far and break his chest open. Either one sounded terrifying, and he had to clench his teeth together to keep from screaming. Still, he tried to eat something, even though his fork and knife rattled against the plate as he did so. 

After a moment of silence, Richard Tweek glanced over at Tweek and said, in a chipper voice, “Tweek’s out of coffee, honey.” Tweek only glanced up from his plate for a moment, and his mouth opened as he tried to say something, only to realize he didn’t have anything to say.  _ Why are they acting like this, I hate it, I hate this! _

“Oh, here you go kiddo.” Watching the coffee from the coffee pot in his mother’s hands fill his empty cup, the blond swallowed and tried to cut through his Turkey once more.

As his mother sat down, his father once again opened his mouth. “Tweek-” the blond glanced up in fear at his dad, waiting nervously for what was about to come next. “Is there anything you want to talk to us about?”  _ Oh god, what kind of question is that?! _

Freezing for a second, his insides strangling themselves, Tweek shortly said, “No?” like it was a question. He tried to turn the sound down at the end, making it more certain, but it was too late. Glancing down at his plate in horror, Tweek felt the crushing weight of his parents’ collective gazes bearing down on him. He wanted to scream, to  _ beg _ them to look somewhere else, but all he could do was stare at his plate and swallow his own fear down.

“Well…” His father drew the word out. “We heard that you’re  _ gay.” _ Tweek couldn’t even summon the strength to react. He just uselessly dragged his fork through his mashed potatoes as his brain scrambled to figure out  _ how _ his parents had found out about the fiasco at school so damn fast.

Putting down his coffee cup, the man added, happily, as though it was something to be  _ happy _ about, “And I want you to know that we have  _ never _ been so proud of you.” He smiled, but Tweek’s only thought was a long, drawn out scream. Because of all the fucking things his parents could have said, this wasn’t what he needed.

Eyes rolling up towards the ceiling, the blond let out a faint, strangled, “Oh  _ god,” _ before face planting in his mash potatoes. As the white fluff smushed up his nose and got into his eyes and hair, the boy just stayed there, so sick of everything that he couldn’t move.

Spreading his hands peacefully, Richard continued, “We thought you were just a spaz.”  _ So that is what my parents thought of me, just great. _ His panic was battling with frustration, but over it all was resignation, because his life never got better, it only ever got worse. Meanwhile, his dad was clenching his hand into a determined fist as he finished, “But to know that you've got so much going on inside.”

Clutching her hands to her chest, Tweek’s mother smiled widely and said, “We’re so proud of you Tweek.” Hell, in that moment, her voice almost sounded warm and  _ human. _ It was so disconcerting that the boy pressed his face deeper into his food, smushing the carrots out of their fried casings, leaving him with the juices spread across his face.

“Aughhh,” he moaned in frustrated defeat.

Despite this, his father kept talking. “Knowing what I know now, I'm gonna be a much better dad to you.” Tweek shook his head, spreading the food around.  _ No, no stop please, don’t do this to me, I’m already stressed enough… _ “In fact, I just, I just want to give you some money, Tweek. Can I give you some money?” Looking up, incredulous, Tweek stared at his dad and wondered what hellscape he’d wandered into and what he’d done that was so  _ terrible _ that he deserved this.

“Here, I love you so much, son.” As his father pushed money into his face, and his mother looked on, the boy shivered and realized that no matter how bad he thought things were, things would always get worse.

“I-I don’t want it,” he mumbled, pushing away from his chair. His parents stared after him, still smiling, but he just stumbled away, food dripping off of his nose. “I just- I need- Gha- I have w-work!”

“We’re so glad that you can be yourself,” Tweek’s mother insisted, her eyes glassy yet so, so  _ ernest, _ which made it all the worse. “Some people never can, so we’re glad that-”

“This- This isn’t who I am!” Tweek yelped, shaking his head and shivering. “Please s-stop-”

“No matter what, we will accept your gayness, son,” Tweek’s dad promised, his smile only growing wider.

“I’m just- I’m f-friends…” No, no it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t get it,  _ he  _  didn’t get it. So instead of trying to explain it, the boy stumbled away from the table and towards the stairs.

“We love you!” Richard called.

Tweek hated it, but he was too tired to say so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *snickers* Fried carrots...


	18. The Lies We Tell Ourselves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well lads, I'm back again with another chapter. Moving has done me wonders, I feel like I can breathe again. Hell, I've been actually taking care of myself, that's like... unheard of.
> 
> I hope that y'all are ready for me to start posting more regularly, because I'm ready to start doing it. I'm gonna be careful, I don't wanna burn out after finally getting a grasp on my inspiration once more, but... we'll see what I can do.
> 
> I just wanted to say that even though I haven't responded to all of your comments individually, the things you said on the last chapter brought me to tears in the best way possible. I'm so happy that this story has helped you guys, because that's all I've ever wanted to do. Help people smile, or cry enough to release some pressure in your heads, or just... get away from life for a few minutes. That's what it used to do for me, I'm not kidding when I say that this story saved me.
> 
> Hearing that it saved some of you... Heck, I can't even form words.
> 
> Enjoy.

Loudly, Craig’s stomach grumbled in complaint.

He hadn’t slept the night before, having mostly stared at the ceiling, the weight of his situation hitting him like a ton of rectangular building things as he did. Despite his attempts to turn over and just sleep, he’d heard his father yelling downstairs, and that had been enough to keep him wide awake. There might have been a couple hours that he drifted off, but it hadn’t been enough for him to really  _ feel rested. _

And besides, he thought as he stared out the window of the bus, next to his sister, who’d pushed him into riding with her instead of being horribly late.  _ It’s not as if rest would have gotten me anywhere. _ No one was talking to him. Other younger kids were chatting with Ruby, but everyone avoided him. He could hear the murmurs though; that, or he was turning into Tweek and imagining them.

Just the thought of the blond left him swamped with a few too many emotions to quite process.  _ Friends? Relationships? Gay? Not gay? Hell, I don’t have enough energy to deal with this shit. _ As his stomach let out another loud gurgle of hunger, he slowly slumped forward till his head hit the back of the seat in front of him.

“What Craig, were you up all night with you boyfriend? Is that why you can’t sleep?” Jerking his head up, a scowl covering his tired features, Craig saw the pudgy face of Cartman and raised his middle finger, not in the mood to put up with the fatass today.

“Shut your mouth asshole, it’s none of your business,” he said flatly, pulling the edge of his chullo down over his forehead. So what if he’d been with Tweek, he hadn’t, but it didn’t matter. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Uh, yeah you do,” Cartman sneared, as if this was obvious. “I’m not  _ blind _ Craig, I saw the whole presentation. You’re totally gay for Tweek dude. Does he scream when you-” Kenny reached over and smacked Cartman in the back of the head. “EY! Watch it poor boy! I don’t want your germs, you’d probably kill me.”

“Lay off of Tucker, Cartman,” Kenny intoned, rolling his eyes.

From somewhere behind Craig, there was a burst of whispering before a girl he recognized as Annie Knitts leaned forward and said, “So how are you and Tweek doing? I bet it’s nice not to have to hide anything anymore!”

Frustration getting the better of him, Craig snapped, “Fuck off, I’m not gay. Wendy is being stupid, and so are those asian girls.” Annie recoiled at his rudeness, but didn’t seem convinced.  _ Is this just going to be my life now? _ The thought left him feeling sick, though maybe that was just the hunger. Goddamnit, it wasn’t his fault he’d missed dinner and breakfast.

“C’mon Craig, why didn’t you bring your little  _ boyfriend _ anyway,” Cartman asked, leering back at him. Kenny just rolled his eyes and threw his arms in the air, clearly giving up on stopping Cartman from being a complete dick. Craig just tried to ignore him, letting his face fall back to its usual deadpan in an attempt to discourage further conversation. How unfortuitous it was that his attempts failed miserably.

“I can’t believe we finally have a gay person in our school,” commented a third grader sitting across from Ruby. “I thought we were too small to have them. My mom said they’re not very common.” As if he was a wild animal, something to be studied under a microscope. Well, it felt like they were examining him anyway, scrutinizing him and waiting for him to twitch.

“Oh yeah, they’re everywhere,” Cartman called, clearly enjoying the conversation. Stan and Kyle turned around in their seats and stared back at Craig, but instead of standing up for him, the two of them just put on twin expressions of confusion before going back to muttering to each other. “It’s like wasps, you just have to smoke them out and they show up.”

“What kind of analogy is that?” Kenny asked, leaning away and raising one eyebrow. “I swear Cartman, your insults are deteriorating almost as fast as your health. Maybe you should lay off the KFC-”  
“Are you callin’ me fat!?”

“Well, I’m certainly not  _ not _ calling you fat,” Kenny returned, shrugging.

“Fuck you Kenny, you bastard!”

Sinking back in his seat, Craig pulled his chullo down once more before stuffing his hands into his pockets and avoiding eye contact with everyone. It was all so petty, he knew that none of them could do any real damage, but it still made him feel uncomfortable. Upset. They didn’t know shit about him, they didn’t know how much damage their rumors would cause him, but what did it matter anyway.  _ At this rate, I’m never going to get any sleep. Fuck. _ First Stripe, then Tweek, and now this. He didn’t care what the school thought, but the school cared very much about him, and his parents cared what the town thought. That was enough to make it all  _ terrible. _

Ruby tapped her shoulder against his, interrupting his silent self loathing quite effectively. “Come on Craig, don’t look like someone killed your dog. We don’t even have a dog, you don’t get to look like that. I thought you told me Cartman always acted like this.” It was true, she had a point, and he even managed to snort at her small piece of humor, but Craig didn’t sit up. Yeah, Cartman was always like this, but usually he was a solid wall against his cruelty, right now he was as weak as a wet napkin.

_ Okay, _ he thought, taking a step back from his own depressing thoughts.  _ Maybe I’m not that bad, but it feels like it right now. _ It didn’t help that he was physically worn out, that was for sure. If the ride to school had been longer, he might have just passed out against the window, but as it was, they were at the last bus stop before they got to the dreaded prison of a building, and he was pretty sure that only a bit of sleep would just make him more tired and also tease him with what he couldn’t have.

_ Maybe I’ll just sleep through class. _

“He does,” the Noirette muttered, staring out the window and wondering why it was already to look like winter was around the corner. “But this is different.”

“Because it involves Tweek?” Ruby asked, her eyebrows raising. Opening his mouth to tell her it  _ had nothing to do with Tweek,  _ Craig closed his mind as he realized that he  _ wished _ he could say he was upset for a good reason like that. If he were upset because of Tweek, then at least he’d have something to hide his own selfish reasons behind, but as it was, he was too much of a bastard to even worry about Tweek.

“Yeah, because of Tweek,” he responded in a flatly hollow voice.

As the bus pulled up to school, Craig waited till almost everyone else had already gotten off before getting to his feet, hunching his shoulders, and exiting as well. Everyone was swarming the school, all chatting, most laughing. While he walked though, he caught the looks people cast him, and it soured his mood further. How many people were currently laughing about his situation with no thought for how it would affect him, with no thought for how it affected Tweek? Probably most of them, if they even cared at all.

“Hey, Craig?”

Turning, the Noirette found Stan and Kyle behind him, both standing shoulder to shoulder, looking up at him with equally confused faces.  _ Oh boy, not these two. Kenny’s not even here to distract them. _ Well, it wasn’t like he couldn’t deal with shit on his own, so Craig stood tall and stared down his nose at the two.

“What?” he asked, his voice flat.

Nudging Stan with his shoulder, Kyle looked to his friend, who gave a little shrug that Craig couldn’t read. Finally seeming to decide what the hell he was doing, Kyle cleared his throat and asked, bluntly, “So are you gay?”

“No,” Craig answered, just as bluntly, his tone flat.

Kyle pursed his lips together and said, “Bullshit.” 

“Why?” Craig snapped, his eyes narrowing. “Why is it bullshit, why am I suddenly gay? What did I do?!”

Stan held up his hands, quickly stepping forward so Craig would focus on him instead. “Look, we just want to talk to you dude, alright? We’re not trying to accuse you of anything, we’re not like Cartman.”  _ No but you’re just as bad. _ Biting his tongue, Craig took a breath and looked between the two of them, trying to decide if he should deal with them, or if he just didn’t have the energy. 

In the end though, it would probably more trouble to fight them than just go, so it was with sagging shoulders that he muttered, “Yeah, fine. As long as you’re not going to act like those asian girls.”

“Not everyone is obsessed with you and Tweek,” Kyle grumbled, almost like he was offended Craig would insinuate he cared that much. Which was kind of funny because the redhead had always been the type to get  _ far _ too invested in things, but maybe that was just the Noirette not feeling particularly charitable, so he didn’t voice it.

“Good,” the Noirette responded, yanking his chullo down over his forehead as he started towards the school, forcing the other two to follow along behind him. “I don’t want  _ anyone _ talking about us, it’s weird.”

“Not really,” Stan admitted, ambling up till he was level with Craig. “I heard Wendy talking about it, I don’t think she meant it to turn out this way.”

“Your girlfriend has no idea what she’s doing,” Kyle muttered sourly, before focusing on Craig once more. “Craig, you know our school, we’re always like this. No matter what happens, someone is going to make a big deal about it. I don’t know why you’re getting so worked up about it.”

“Because this is my life they’re messing with,” Craig growled, rounding on the Ginger, who just crossed his arms and glared right back. “They’re going to make my life a living hell, and it doesn’t matter that they’ll forget, it’ll  _ still _ be hell.”

“Well then just ignore them,” Stan suggested, like an idiot, like that was even  _ possible. _ “What are they gonna do? They’re already drawing you two. And besides,  _ aren’t you gay?” _

Craig’s impatience fizzled and sparked. “What part of  _ I’m not gay _ did you not understand?” he pushed out, at his wits end. “No amount of  _ art _ is going to make me want to kiss Tweek, I don’t fucking  _ care _ what they say.”

“Well if you don’t care then why are you so upset?” Kyle demanded, his temper flaring up in the face of Craig’s attitude. Getting in front of him, the redhead clenched his jaw and snapped, “You’re the one who’s acting like something crawled up your ass and died. No one is telling you to give a shit about what the rest of the school is saying, so why do you? Why do you keep on going on about it and then in the next sentence saying that you don’t care? Make up your damn mind, Craig.”

“I have to care!” Craig’s voice rose in volume as he got in Kyle’s face. “I don’t have a choice!”

“THEN JUST SAY THAT AND STOP ACTING LIKE AN ASSHOLE!” Kyle yelled, his face going red. “This is such  _ bullshit _ we didn’t even want to talk to you about this! Why on earth do you have to derail every single conversation-”

“Since when do I have enough conversations with either of you to derail anything?” Craig grunted, his face stoney. 

“Can we stop shouting?” Stan asked, intervening between the two of them before Kyle could go off on the Noirette again. “Kyle’s right dude, we didn’t want to argue with you, I just wanted to talk to you about some stuff I found out from my dad last night.”

“You’d be surprised how  _ little _ I care what your dad has to say,” Craig deadpanned, his eyes narrowed. Walking around Kyle and Stan, the boy called over his shoulder, “He’s an idiot, Marsh, and so are you.”

“He’s trying to help, bastard,” Kyle snapped. “Craig, we’re on your side here, I’m sick of listening to Cartman talk about this and it’s only been a day, so try to work with us here.” Craig just kept walking, frustrated that he was even having to have this conversation. His stomach complained loudly and he almost cursed at it, tired of everything pissing him off.  _ I haven’t even seen Tweek yet? I completely blew him off this morning, do I want to see him? _

“What do you want?” he pushed out at last, realizing he’d been silent for a while and Kyle and Stan were still following him doggedly. Ignoring Kyle’s mutter of  _ finally, _ Craig flatly informed them, “I probably won’t give a shit, but just get it over with.”

Stan glanced at Kyle once more before saying firmly, “I just wanted to say that you don’t have to be worried about being gay, Craig, because it’s not your fault. The Asians make people gay, it’s not your fault that the world is getting turned upside down.”

Craig blinked at the two of them, unable to quite process what they were saying. “You- You really-” Drawing in a breath before letting it out, the Noirette said, in a monotone, “Both of you are fucking idiots, I’m not gay, and these Asians are just weird.”

“Well if you weren’t gay, then explain why you’re gay now,” Kyle riposted, crossing his arms and setting his jaw. “Face it Craig, the Asians made you gay and there’s nothing you can do about it now. You might as well just get used to it.” 

Yanking on his chullo, the Noirette muttered, “Alright, say that I was made gay by the Asians, how the fuck does that even work? How can they just make someone gay.” Shaking his head, realizing that he was playing into their delusion, Craig insisted, “And what if I just want things to go back to normal! I just wanna be friends with Tweek, not  _ boyfriends.” _

“We’re not even talking about Tweek, dude,” Stan pointed out, shaking his head. “I don’t think they choose who you’re gay with, they just make you gay.” Wrinkling his nose, he added, “Actually I don’t think they made Tweek gay, he was already pretty gay.”

“Tweek is not. Fucking.  _ Gay,  _ and neither am I.” Craig was about ready to either hit something or someone, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to get into a fight with Stan or Kyle. “Can you please just drop it, I’m tired of everyone thinking that I’m gay, and I’m tired of having to have this conversation. I’ve already had it way too many times.”

“Then stop having the conversation,” Kyle said, as if it was  _ that _ easy. “Just don’t talk about it, because most people in this shitty town have enough problems without worrying about yours. If you don’t bring it up every time people call you gay then maybe people will stop fighting you on it because  _ clearly _ you’re gay.”

“You know what, I give up.” Turning away from them, Craig called, “Thanks for trying assholes, but you didn’t help at all.” Striding away from them quickly, Craig felt his spirits sinking the more their words sunk in. Because what if he couldn’t stop people? What if this was the rest of his life? He didn’t want that, and he didn’t want Tweek to have to deal with it either, despite the blond not exactly being as high on Craig’s list of priorities as he used to be.  _ I’m being a bad friend…  _ Well, did it even matter when people were more likely to accuse him of being a bad boyfriend.

Mouth turning down at the edges, Craig heard the first bell ring, but didn’t head towards the doors. Instead he just walked around the back of the building, as far away from people as he could get. He hadn’t eaten the night before because he’d been terrified of what his dad would do to him, he hadn’t slept because he’d had to keep alert in case his parents decided to confront him, and now he couldn’t even talk to people without them trying to bring up Tweek and the fact he was  _ gay _ it was all so stupid.

But it didn’t seem like it was going to end any time soon.

With heavy footsteps, he trudged around the school, his eyes on his feet. In his pocket, his phone buzzed, and he could only assume it was Clyde or Token, wondering what had happened to him. It might have even been Kenny, there to try and make him feel better with his usual oddly helpful perspective, but he ignored it. The longer he went, the more he realized that the only person he wanted to see was Tweek.

And yet the blond was the only person he was trying to avoid.

Life could be almost singularly cruel sometimes.

Sinking further into the defeated gloom that was overtaking him, the Noirette kicked a stone and rounded another corner. Smelling the usual smoke of the Goth kids, only muted, as though they hadn’t been out yet, Craig kept walking. At least they wouldn’t try and talk to him about it too. It was small comfort, but he took it, unsure where else he could find it.

It was only until he was halfway to the front of the school that he noticed the other person in the ally. Looking up, drawn by the soft involuntary sounds that he knew so well, Craig found Tweek already staring at him, eyes wide and unblinking, face contorting in small twitches every other second as he stared at the Noirette. Blinking, the boy waited for Tweek to speak, to say his name, to give some other meaningless words of comfort, commiseration for their situation, but he didn’t. If anything, he just took a slight step back away from Craig before turning his face up towards the side of the school.

Finally looking away from the blond before stepping an inch closer to him, Craig followed the boy’s gaze and found something that made his insides sink a little lower. There, splashed over the building in vivid color, was a huge painting of him and Tweek. In the picture Craig was on his back, staring up at Tweek with his arms wrapped around the smaller boy’s neck. At the same time, the painted blond had a hand on the Noirette’s exposed waist and the other wrapped around his back. Both of them were wearing loving, caring smiles, Craig’s more open, Tweek’s more of a mischievous smirk. 

It made the Noirette feel like throwing up.

For a moment they just stood there in silence, staring at the drawing, then Tweek let out a soft, “Gha~” and turned around swiftly. Following his lead, Craig turned and found the boy rubbing at his chest, like he was trying to make it stop aching. He knew that’s what the blond was doing, because his heart felt the same way, like something in it was withering. 

Shivering, the blond turned away from Craig, and the taller boy almost reached out, but he couldn’t quite make himself move. A moment later Tweek started away, distress plain on his features. It hurt to see him walk away, almost like he was saying, without words, that he didn’t want anything to do with Craig.

_ It’s fine, it’s not like I want people to think… oh hell.  _ Maybe at this point, Craig was too tired to care what people thought, because all he wanted was to just be friends with Tweek in peace.

After a second, Craig turned around as well and walked away, because in the end, he was too much of a coward to just not care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, ouch, I love writing angst. It's so sweet.
> 
> Also, three cheers for Hag Spice, who I've been staying with this past week. I heard all of the Stan lines in her voice, and it was simply marvelous.


	19. The Fear of The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I just hope you guys don't hate me, this chapter was a fucking monster to write.
> 
> Enjoy.

Someone tapped on Tweek’s window.

“GHA!” Leaping backwards off of his bed, the blond let out a whimper as a hunted, and guarded Craig let himself in, gently landing on the toy box before stepping towards the blond. “Jesus man, w-what are you doing here?”

They hadn’t exactly been hanging out lately. The only times they ever talked were at school, and it had become nothing more than hushed, muted reassurance before going their separate ways. Neither particularly wanted to be seen around the other, and Tweek for one was having enough trouble dealing with the stress of so much scrutiny. To see Craig here, now. On the first weekend since the disaster, wasn’t what Tweek had been expecting.

He hadn’t expected it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t scramble to his feet and hurry towards the Noirette, only to stop several feet away and stand there, awkward. Shutting the window behind him furtively, the tall boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, “I… haven’t seen you in a while.”

Which was mostly true, but Tweek had the feeling that wasn’t all that was going on. Things had been bad, so Craig would have to have a reason to be here, right? Tweek didn’t want there to  _ have _ to be a reason, but until things got less terrible, he wasn’t going to try and kid himself. Taking a stab in the dark, Tweek softly asked, “Is- Is everything alright w-with your parents?”

Hunching his shoulders defensively, Craig huffed out a breath before flatly saying, “They’re fine.” It wasn’t precisely an answer to what Tweek had asked, but he wasn’t sure how to press Craig on the topic, so he stayed quiet.  _ I hate not knowing what’s going on, I wish he would just tell me, but maybe he’s not going to ever. Maybe he just doesn’t want me to know! Maybe I’m not important enough to know! Jesus why do I have to think like this?! I JUST WANT HIM TO BE- _

“There’s a fair today.” Craig’s words cut Tweek’s mental tirade off, and the blond blinked rapidly, twitching as he did so. Momentarily disoriented, Tweek looked around absently before finding his coffee and scurrying off to grab it. After all, it wasn’t like the Noirette was in any frame of mind to offer much comfort, and Tweek wasn’t about to be selfish and demand it.

“M-my parents went to it,” Tweek stuttered, wrapping his fingers around his coffee mug and bringing it to his lips. Since he was out of his own coffee, he’d been forced to resort to the coffee his parents had and it wasn’t helping his brain one bit. Jerking his head sharply to the side, the blond let out an involuntary sound before yelping, “Ghn- W-what’s going on at the fair?” Craig’s blue eyes darkened, and the blond felt something in him roll unpleasantly.

“It- They say it’s an art fair,” Craig said slowly, his monotone voice strained and stressed. “But I don’t think it’s  _ just _ an art fair.” Biting his lip, Tweek let out a whimper through his nose and hunched over his coffee.  _ If Craig thinks it’s not an art fair, then it probably isn’t! But oh god, I don’t wanna know what it is because it’s probably going to be something horrible! I’m so tired of horrible, I already can’t deal with school because no one believes either of us when we say we’re not gay.  _

Shoving the spiraling thoughts out of his head, Tweek asked, “What are w-we gonna do about it?? Ngh~” As he shivered, Craig stepped closer to him, his eyes elsewhere as he moved. Tweek hated that everything between them was so nervous. It wasn’t tentative anymore, this wasn’t just because they’d lost sight of what friends were supposed to act like. This was furtive, like they were afraid of being caught. Tweek didn’t want to be afraid of being caught.

Maybe that’s why he was so quick to close his eyes and lean into Craig’s hand as the boy ruffled his hair gently, calming down the tension that had built up in his veins. It didn’t  _ solve _ anything, but it made him feel better, if only for just a moment.

“I don’t know,” Craig muttered. “But… I- I can’t just sit here dude.”

“No, man, I get it!” Tweek piped up. But his heart was sinking, because if Craig’s reaction was anything to go by, he already knew what it was. “I don’t want to be in the dark either!”

Craig tugged on his chullo, turning away as his shoulders hunched. “It’s our  _ lives _ they’re fucking around with dude. I’m sick of them fucking with me, I don’t even care what they think. I just-” He froze, and Tweek felt a thrill of fear run through him at the dread on Craig’s face.

_ You just what, Craig? Why can’t you tell me? _ Sipping on his coffee, like it was a nervous tick, Tweek shivered and said, “W-what if we can’t do anything?”

For a long moment, Craig was silent, then the typically stoic boy shook his head. “We have to try.” When Tweek only twitched and whimpered, the Noirette clenched his teeth. “Please.”

If he hadn’t sounded so broken… But God, Tweek didn’t know what had happened to them, so it wasn’t like he could just say no. He wanted this to end, they had bigger matters to deal with. Craig had just lost Stripe and they’d both just lost any idea of what they were doing. They didn’t need to be told they were together on top of everything else when they clearly weren’t.

“Rrr- I g-guess.” Picking his head up, the blond looked at his friend, subconsciously hoping for some reassurance, but there was nothing there. Nothing but more fear.  _ If neither of us can be strong, then what are we gonna do? _

Extending his hand, Craig softly said, “C’mon dude, let’s go.” When Tweek only stared at the hand, the Noirette glanced down and cleared his throat awkwardly before stuffing it back into his pocket. “I-” he began, sounding as painfully self-conscious as Tweek felt.

_ Oh god, the town is happy about it, why do we even care?? _ Clenching his fists resolutely, Tweek stoutly walked over to Craig and held out his hand. “W-we wouldn’t wanna miss the fair, ngh~ right?” Blinking at his outstretched fingers, Craig swallowed hard before bobbing his head once.

“Yeah.” Furtively almost, the Noirette reached out his hand for Tweek’s. Taking it, with equal carefulness, the blond boy stared up at Craig and waited. He could see the struggle on Craig’s face, and it tore him apart. Never had he wished more powerfully than then that he could calm someone down, but all he could do was wait.  _ He doesn’t deserve this, neither of us do! _ Shivering, the bolt of nerves striking through him like a pole, Tweek clenched his hand over Craig’s, and a second later, the taller boy tightened his own grip.

Logically, it shouldn’t have done anything, but Tweek was far from logic.

The sky outside, Tweek noted as he pulled Craig outside, coaxing the Noirette into moving after a good two minutes of him just standing there, staring at the blond like he was trying to work out all the cruelty of the world, was blue. So blue in fact, that the blond found himself comparing Craig’s coat to it. The taller boy always wore darker blue, but this sky reminded Tweek of Butters’ jacket. Or maybe of Kenny’s eyes. It was almost  _ painful _ to stare at, so within a few minutes, Tweek found himself looking at the ground once more.

It didn’t take them long to get to the scene of the commotion. When Craig had said there was a  _ fair _ somehow Tweek had expected something smaller, but instead, he found himself staring at the backend of a highly colorful explosion that had been splashed across the parking lot of Whole Foods like an open wound. Tweek instantly felt his nerves rising up, his twitching worsening exponentially as he glimpsed all the people gathered around the different booths,  _ aww _ ing at everything they saw. In his fear, the blond clenched his hand tighter around Craig’s and as he did, he felt some of pressure in his head lessening.

“Rrr- W-we’re gonna be fine,” Tweek said, the words sounding a little less hollow than they’d been lately.

“That fair is full of pictures of… of us,” Craig murmured, like the thought sickened him.

“Y-yeah, but -grrr- Who cares?” Tweek pushed out, trying to sound determined enough for both of them. When Craig opened his mouth to protest, Tweek let out an involuntary growl and burst, “I know y-you care!! But w-we can just pretend it doesn’t matter.” Although the thoughts in his head were hard to verbalize, the blond tried to make sense of them to Craig, because they were making better sense to him. “We’ll just… act like friends.”

Craig glanced down at their linked hands, as if to say  _ friends don’t do this, _ but Tweek stared right back at him, unwilling to let the Noirette pull him there only to chicken out now. Remembering back to fourth grade, when Stan and Kyle had called him a chicken in an attempt to goad him into fighting Craig, Tweek shivered and picked his head up.  _ I’m not a chicken, so neither are you! _

And it was though Craig answered, with that subtle frown and the clench of his fingers over Tweek’s,  _ I know you’re not, but what if you’re wrong about me. _ Strengthening his resolve, Tweek all but strangled Craig’s hand in his own before dragging the boy towards the fair.

_ What I don’t know is scarier than what I do. You’re the one who always tries to help me know what’s going on in my own head so I’m not as terrified. So… Maybe now I have to do the same for you. _

Despite his sentiment, Tweek still found himself shiver as they stepped in through the back of the fair. The place was full to bursting with people, all of them intent on ogling the art that had been set up. He didn’t even need to look at it to know what it was, but still, Tweek made himself stare, because he had to see it. If he was here, then he had to  _ know. _

The first picture that he saw made something inside of him catch before that uncomfortable rolling in his stomach made bile rise up in his throat. As was with the others, it was he and Craig. This one in particular depicted Tweek with his head pressed against Craig’s stomach while the Noirette patted him on the back. Of all the pictures that could have caught his eye first, this one made Tweek feel almost more uncomfortable because it was… accurate.

And he missed it.

_ But we’re just friends. _

Resisting from crushing Craig’s hand, Tweek glanced up at the boy, whose eyes were wide and broken. Like he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react. Like he was shell shocked and too horrified to properly express how he was feeling.

“What even is that?” Following the boy’s finger, Tweek blinked at a picture of the two of them on a swing with no pants on. As he stared in abject confusion at their bare butts, and more important, at the hand the little Craig had on his butt, Tweek shuddered and made a helpless sound. “I’d never do that,” Craig mumbled, shifting uncomfortably and clenching his free hand. 

“Jesus man, I ghn- know you wouldn’t!” Tweek squeaked, his eyes widening. Twisting his head, trying to scrub the image from his mind, the blond focused on a different picture. Staring at the two of them hugging in the snow, his own face appearing peaceful and content, Tweek shook his head.  _ Come on, they’re just pictures. _

But it was the implications of those pictures. That’s what scared him. Sure they were just drawings and paintings done by the new girls, and yeah, he could make the argument that the rest of the town being obsessed with the idea of them being together was way too much pressure, but in the end, what he couldn’t stand was what the pictures made him think about. Especially after he and Craig had suffered such a disastrous blow to what they thought of as normal friend behavior.

Because some of the tamer pictures were things he could either picture himself doing or had done with Craig in the past. Everything from hugging to sitting with each other to holding hands, it was just too  _ familiar _ to see put in this context. It forced Tweek to see them as a couple and he wasn’t ready to deal with those kinds of thoughts.  _ Oh god, that implies I will eventually, but I’m not!! I don’t ever want something like that, right?? _ Jesus, he shouldn’t even have to ask himself that question.

“Craig?? Teacup!!” Letting out a shriek, the blond dropped Craig’s hand and yanked on his hair. Letting out a laugh, Clyde bounded over to them, Bebe on his heels, a smile on her face. “I didn’t think I’d see you guys here!”

Eyeing the two of them, Bebe poked Tweek’s forehead with her pointer finger. “Are you two having fun on your date?” she asked, her eyes gleaming.

Instantly, Tweek froze. He could practically  _ feel _ the air around him tense up as Craig bristled and took a step back. “We aren’t on a date,” he said in short, clipped words.

Clyde laughed, like the idea was ridiculous. “Of course you are. C’mon, you’re here aren’t you? And I  _ saw _ you two holding hands.” He acted like they were trying to pull his leg or be coy by not telling him, but Tweek could see Craig starting to become panicked and that made him freak out too.

“OH CHRIST!! Y-You know we’re just friends!!” Tweek shoved out, his breathing quickening. “W-why on earth would you even  _ think _ something like that.”

Blinking, Bebe caught Clyde’s hand and tugged him back a bit, giving Craig and Tweek some breathing room. “Well,” she said, in a careful, calming voice. “The two of you have always been close. I had  _ hoped _ that maybe you’d use this time to… To sort through how you felt about each other.”

“What the  _ fuck _ is that supposed to mean,” Craig asked, his voice flat yet frustrated. “What feelings do we need to sort through.”

“Craaaiigg,” Clyde whined, rolling his eyes, “Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not being stupid!” Craig snapped, his blue eyes darkening. “You’re the one who’s telling me that I’m gay for Tweek.”

“Well, it was implied,” Bebe admitted, glancing off to the side. As if lighting upon an idea, the girl focused on Tweek and said, “You do know that people would accept you, right? It’s alright to be different.”

“But I’m  _ not _ different,” Craig interjected, even though Bebe hadn’t been talking to him. Attention flying to the Noirette, Tweek let out a distressed sound and reached for the frantic boy. Physically shrinking back from the blond’s fingers, Craig snapped, “Just leave me alone!” 

“I’m not agreeing with them!” Tweek insisted, ignoring Bebe and Clyde in favor of walking towards his taller friend, who was backing away, trying to get to the exit of the fair. As he went, the people around them started to take notice. “Christ, I- I don’t think of you that way either, don’t act like this!”

“Well how the hell do you want me to act?” Craig demanded, his nasally voice rising as he spoke. “Do you think I’m just going to- To stand here while everyone calls me gay?” 

“Hey look honey, it’s Tweek and Craig!” At the sound of Randy Marsh’s voice, Craig whipped around, his eyes rolling in fear like a cornered animal.

“Oh my god, they’re so cute!” someone else squealed, causing Tweek to fist a hand in his hair in frustration.  _ Stop it, we get it, you think we’re gay. But you’re freaking out Craig so it’s not okay!! _

“I- I’m not-” Craig’s chest heaved as he swallowed heavily. “I  _ can’t.” _

“Craig, please-” Tweek begged, but the Noirette was already turning around and bolting. Letting out an involuntary cry, the blond dashed after him, tearing through the crowd of  _ aww _ ing people so he could follow that flash of blue. “WAIT!!” he called, his voice coming out shrill and wild.

“No!” Craig yelled back. “Stay away from me!”

Almost irrationally frustrated, Tweek rounded the tents that held the art and finally caught up to the Noirette, who stood there backed up against a car, his expression one of horror. “Craig, please, it- It’s not that bad,” Tweek insisted, panting not from the exertion of the run but from the mental toll this was taking on him.

“How the  _ fuck _ are you able to look at me in the eyes and tell me that shit isn’t bad?” Craig demanded, his eyes almost black in their intensity. Feeling very much like the void was trying to swallow him, Tweek straightened his spine and lifted his chin, trying to be strong.

“They’re just pictures,” he pushed back, his voice wavering. “Ngh- Oh  _ god _ I don’t like them either, b-but they can’t hurt us!”

“Clyde and Bebe  _ both called us gay, _ ” Craig said, emphasizing the last word heavily, like it held more terror than Tweek could possibly imagine. “That isn’t a picture Tweek, that’s our  _ friends turning on us.” _

“GRRR- THEY DIDN’T T-TURN ON US!!” Tweek screeched, fisting his hands in his hair but not pulling. “OH GOD, W-WHY ARE YOU BEING SO UNREASONABLE!?!?” 

There, he’d said it, Craig was acting like an idiot and Tweek felt  like he couldn’t get through to him. This wasn’t as big a deal as they’d made it out to be, he could see it now. Sure he hated it, but no one was throwing things at them for it, no one was hurting them. Hell, people were happy about it so why did they have to care? Surely Craig could explain to his parents that it wasn’t real and then whatever the Noriette was scared about would be over!

But Craig just stared at him like Tweek had lost his goddamn mind. And that of all things hurt. “I. Am  _ not. _ Being. Unreasonable,” Craig said, the words coming out in short bursts. “You’re the one who’s defending those- Those assholes! You’re the one who’s saying that it’s not that bad, you  _ know _ it’s horrible!”

“No I don’t!!” Tweek responded desperately, clenching his teeth and reaching for Craig. “Just  _ tell _ me why it’s so bad man, otherwise I d-don’t know!”

Instead of calming down though, when Tweek got close enough to touch the Noirette, the boy physically shoved him back. As the blond stumbled back, staring at Craig in complete incomprehension, his friend gritted his teeth and stared down his long nose at the blond. “Just- Just stay away from me, because you’ve lost your mind.”

Shuddering, his breath coming in short, unstable gasps, Tweek stared into Craig’s eyes and realized that the boy meant it. And that hurt more than he cared to say. “F-fine,” the boy mumbled, stumbling back from him, his eyebrows pinching together in frustration and anger. “Fine, I w-won’t talk to you, or do anything else.” Pulling his hands out of his hair, the blond forced himself to stand tall against Craig, unwilling to be cowed. “Because you’re -ngh- being an  _ ass _ right now.”

The Noirette watched him with cold eyes, but he didn’t waver.

Drawing in a quick breath, Tweek turned on his heels and walked away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH HAH Angst.


	20. An Unlikely Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Cartman_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's partner finally convinced them to buckle down and write a chapter.
> 
> Haha, finally, the deed has been done.
> 
> Enjoy.

_ Look, I was never the bad guy. _

_ I know that someday, they’ll say I was, but trust me, they deserved it. We all knew Tweek and Craig were gay, it was only a matter of time before they started nailing each other in the ass. Honestly, I’m just surprised it took this long. _

_ Seriously though, my hands are clean of this. You’ll have to point your fingers at them for letting this happen. And well… maybe they should have treated me a little better. But Craig’s a fucking asshole, and Tweek, well, no one knows what that little spaz is up to. _

_ Me, I’m just doing god’s work. _

_ Unfortunately, Tweek and Craig seem bent on defying me. Well, I’ll show them, I’ve got more power on my side than they think. And honestly, did they really think they’d be able to get away from me. No one ever disrespect my authority like that and gets away with it. _

“Dude, seriously, what are we supposed to do?” Kyle’s words jolted Eric Cartman out of his inner monologue, and he turned his eyes on the Jew, who sat there looking frustrated, mostly with himself. He’d never cared much about Tweek or Craig before this all started, none of them had. But now Kyle seemed bent on trying to be, for whatever unfathomable reason. Eric certainly didn’t understand it, nor did he care to.

“I don’t know man,” Stan muttered, propping up his head on his hands and staring off into the middle distance, as though to look dramatically contemplative. In Eric’s opinion, it just made the boy looked constipated, which was amazing since he usually looked like he had to take a shit. Smirking at their conversation, Eric stared up at the sky, already becoming lost in thought once more.

_ Now that you know I’m not the bad guy of this story, I suppose I should explain how gracious I am. Tweek and Craig need more help than I thought, apparently relationships are hard work, thank god I’ve never had one. _

_ But even though they keep trying to fight me, I know I will prevail. This latest upset isn’t going to destroy anything, in the end, they’ll give in. They know they’re gay, we know they’re gay, they just need to stop hiding things. _

_ Because then everyone will truly see just how much of a fag Craig Tucker really is. Tweek’s just an added bonus. _

Stan shook his head and let out a groan. “I just- Damn, I hope Tweek and Craig are okay. Wendy said they were really upset.” The brunet hardly held back his scoff. All Wendy had ever been good for was gossip, she didn’t even keep Stan happy.  _ Why he puts up with her, I’ll never know. _

“They’ll be fine,” Kenny commented, tugging on his gloves. They were worn in places, and Eric wondered how how long it had been since the boy had been able to afford new ones. Probably never.  _ I should have know, he lives in an absolute shit hole.  _ Maybe he should find something for the boy to do and offer him money for it. Yeah, that usually worked.  _ Such a shame, really. _ At least, Eric figured, he had his pride, and he wasn’t a complete bastard, unlike other people in the town. “I think people just need to lay off of them, you know? Tweekers and Fucker would be doing a  _ whole lot better _ if the general population wouldn’t make their relationship public.”

As he said it, Kyle pulled a face, like  _ maybe _ he was about to have a moment of introspection, but the next second it became simple sadness. “Yeah, but I didn’t realize the Asian girls had so much power.”

_ Oh if only he knew. The Asian girls have unthinkable power, but I’m the only one who’s figured out how easily they can be swayed. Not that I’ve used that knowledge to my advantage, much. But it’s fun, isn’t it, watching them all scramble about like worms. _

_ Especially Kyle, It’s always more satisfying when its Kyle. _

Eric snorted and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not surprised that a stupid Jew didn’t know something like that.” Instantly, Kyle swiveled to face the boy, a glare already sliding over his features. Like the good little friend he was, Stan put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder and pulled him back, already anticipating his response. Still, Eric couldn’t help but needle him further. “Everyone knows that the Asians are in control of who’s gay and who isn’t.”

“I heard it was because of the rape of some Chinese guy,” Stan said, his voice worried. He was always worried though, Eric reasoned. Of course he’d be worried about the rape of a guy who’d probably been dead for ages. Regardless, the brunet really didn’t care, because to be honest, he knew that it had nothing to do with what Stan was saying, but the boy didn’t need to know that. No, he could just believe whatever fantasy he wanted.

“Aw dude, sick!” Kyle exclaimed.  _ Oh my god, of course Kyle would care, though it’s probably only because of Stan… _ “Man, I just wish it would stop. My parents wouldn’t stop talking about the art fair, I think they both went there and actually bought stuff.”  _ Hmm… Maybe I should get some myself. You never know when you’ll need something like that…  _

“Everyone’s parents went,” Eric said flippantly, even though he only suspected this to be so. “People are obsessed with them, It’s so weird.” He said that, but at the same time, he’d been there when they’d arranged the event. Not that anyone was going to find out about that. No, they could just assume that the people of this crazy town had put together enough brain cells to think of something so brilliant. He’d know the truth, and that was good enough.

Leaning back, cracking his spine, Kenny murmured, “Eventually people will calm down. South Park never stays on one thing for long.”  _ Yeah, you’d know, no one can even remember you for more than a few minutes at a time, Kenny. _

_ He’s always been odd, Kenny McCormick. Thankfully, he’s delightfully easy to coax into doing things, especially when there’s money involved. That’s why it’s nice to have a poor kid around, it’s like having a slave, except they’re white.  _

_ We all know there’s more to him than meets the eye, though, his parents are wrapped up in a cult, and Kenny just  _ suffers _ for it. I know this, but I still love to just take him at face value, because it keeps him from trying to mess with me too often. Otherwise, I might actually have to worry about him spoiling my plans _

_ I’m sure he already knows what my plan is, but he wouldn’t dare tell Stan or Kyle the Jew. He’s got to keep his mouth shut because he’s friends with the fags themselves. What a foolish move, he could spare them so much pain, but everyone knows that this way will be better. I’ll be sure that it ends just how it’s supposed to. _

_ And who said I wasn’t generous? _

There was a buzz and Kenny straightened, shaking his head before pulling up the hood of his parka. “Well, that’s my cue to leave gentlemen.” Lazily getting to his feet, Kenny cast a glance at Eric, who narrowed his eyes in return. It took all of five seconds for the large boy to work out why Kenny was leaving, and he decided to vocalize it, just to toy with the Sandy-blond.

“Oh, isn’t that nice,” he hummed, his smirk stretching over his cheeks. “Make sure to tell Butters hi for the rest of us~”  _ And now we wait for him to confirm my suspicions- Ah yes! _ Kenny blinked twice and his eyebrow twitched.

“You’re going to see Butters?” Kyle asked, glancing up. “Huh, I haven’t seen him around since school got out. Is he-”

“Yeah, he’s grounded again,” Kenny confirmed, his smile bitter. “His parents want to make sure he  _ doesn’t get any ideas _ because of Tweek and Craig. Of course, Butterfly never would, but~” He shook his head and gave Eric a cool expression. “This whole town is losing its mind. It’s not us they have to worry about, it’s them. Because  you never know what they’ll do.”

“No,” Eric agreed, a pleased expression on his face. “You don’t.”

Completely missing the meaning of Eric’s words, proving once again that what Stan had in feigned morality he severely lacked in intelligence, the Raven said, “Well, Butters’ parents are crazy. I hope he’s okay. Maybe we should try to visit him or something.”

“Nah, it’s alright, he’ll probably just get into more trouble if all of you show up at the front door,” Kenny insisted, waving them off. “I’ll tell him you said hello though.” Giving them all a lazy salute, the boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and wandered off, humming a tune under his breath as he went.

Shaking his head, no doubt silently judging Kenny like all Jews do to those who exist, Kyle sighed. “It’s getting late you guys, I think my mom will get upset if I don’t come home soon. Also I promised Ike I’d play with him tonight.” Stan bumped his shoulder against Kyle's, their secret signal that they need to do something. Eric found it to be incredibly gay, but he figured there was no point in calling them out for it. No, he’d save that particular fight for when he was really  _ in the mood. _

Right now, he had other things to do. Things that Stan and Kyle wouldn’t be able to help with. Nor, he suspected, would they want to.

Glancing around, Eric stretched his arms and said, “Yeah, I’m tired of this you guys, I’m goin’ home.” He’d never liked to be the last one leaving, so instead, he got to his feet. The sun was already getting low on the horizon, and if he went to bed early, he’d be able to have peace and quiet with which to conduct his business.

Giving the two of them one of his typically smug grins, the boy turned and walked down the road, content to leave his friends just as confused and lost as always. He could explain later.

))))-((((

Now, you might be wondering why Eric Cartman was so smug. Hell, even he was a little curious as to his own certainty, but the brunet knew that things didn’t get done when you didn’t believe they would, so he was keeping those thoughts at the back of his mind. It allowed him to feel confident in his plan, one he’d been cooking up for a while now.

You might think that he didn’t have the best intentions at heart when it came to Tweek and Craig. It was true, he didn’t! Good intentions were kind of worthless. But what wasn’t worthless was all of the gay moments he’d suffered through last year, and how they’d totally ruined Eric’s game for him. He’d never even got to beat Kyle, and it was all because those two assholes hadn’t been able to calm down for all of ten seconds.

And yet they were still both so deep in the closet, even this boon in the shape of the Asian girls hadn’t fixed the problem.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

Eric had always fancied himself something of a guru when it came to relationships, even though he considered them to be pointless. Surprisingly, it was easy to get people to decide they liked each other if you just set up things in their favor. When he wasn’t finding ways to keep his life interesting, mostly by messing with his friends, Eric had discovered that keeping his finger on the pulse of the school, so to say, was a great way to pass the time. 

He  _ wasn’t _ a matchmaker, no, that would have been foolish, childish even. What he was, in his opinion, was something more of an opportunist. If two people were meant to be together, he just seized the opportunity to make it so. There wasn’t anything weird about that. So when it came to Craig and Tweek, two people who didn’t really need to be convinced of much, Eric had decided that getting them together would require more of a light touch rather than a hard shove.

Thankfully, Eric knew what he was doing. No matter how tough the people were to crack, there were always ways of pushing them together. Besides, he had an ace in the hole.

“MOM I’M GOING TO BED!” he yelled down the stairs, even though usually he would still be up playing video games or watching TV.

“Alright poopsiekins!” Leian Cartman called up to her son, her kind face melting into a smile. She was surprisingly easy to push around, not that Eric tended to. He really did care about his mom, for all her flaws and faults. “Make sure you get some sleep~”

But he was already bustling back to his room. This particular thing, he knew, required privacy.

Crawling into bed, Eric shut off the lights, humming to himself a tune he didn’t know the name of. As it faded from his mind, concentration forcing him to let go of other thoughts, the brunet stared up at his ceiling in silence.  _ Jesus, _ he thought, shifting in an attempt to get comfortable.  _ I hope it doesn’t take him long to show up. _

“Huh, I wonder what’s going to be done about Tweek and Craig getting together?” Eric asked aloud, the question pointed, his hands turned up as if asking the air around him for an answer. When nothing happened, the boy huffed and pulled his covers up over his body.  _ Alright you little thing, get out here. Fall for the bait…  _

Unfortunately, he was still very much alone in his room.

Clamping his mouth shut, Eric pulled a face as he tried to amplify his thoughts.  _ I wonder what will happen if the two gays in my school just make bedroom eyes at each other forever? Will it start spreading? _ Squeezing his eyes shut tight for a moment, the boy popped them open a moment later and cursed under his breath. “Oh that little bitch,” he mumbled, looking around the dim interior of his room, waiting for that familiar laugh to come fluttering out of the woodwork.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t concentrating hard enough. Or maybe he wasn’t asking the right questions. There were too many variables for this to be an exact science, but he had to keep trying. He’d made it his business to get Tweek and Craig to stop being mulish assholes about this whole thing, and he was going to succeed, there wasn’t any other option.

Spending a few moments in a deep concentration, conjuring up as many remembered moments of Tweek and Craig as he could, Eric finally let out a whooshing breath.  _ Ah goddamnit, why does it have to be so hard to get that little asshole to show up? _ Well, it was probably for the best, but it made moments like this frustrating to say the least.

Putting a hand to his chin, feigning deep thought, the boy finally tried a different mental tactic. If he wasn’t going to come for the obvious things, maybe Eric could play the clueless idiot card. It had worked before, it could work again.  _ Dude, _ he thought, his eyes shifting over his room.  _ Tweek and Craig. _ Yeah, that was a decent start.

_ It’s just so weird. _ This thought he directed at the ceiling, hoping that it would call out to wherever that idiot was.  _ If they’ve been gay this whole time, have they been checking me out? _ Actually, that was a good question. Where they? He’d known they were gay since last year, but he’d never contemplated what that meant for him.  _ I’m pretty sure Craig has seen my wiener. Should I kick his ass? _

As if by magic, a soft glittering sound filled the silent night air. “Aw, come on,” a high pitched voice chirped, the words accompanied by the fluttering of feathery wings. “What’s wrong with two guys liking each other?”

And here he was, in the flesh. Or at least, here he was in whatever ethereal form he’d decided to take.  

Hiding his smirk, because once again his plan had worked flawlessly, Eric pulled a sincere and confused expression and said slowly, “I just don’t understand it Cupid Me. Wanting to like, kiss a dude?” The creature he was speaking to was indeed a cherubic version of himself, complete with tiny wings and a bow of love. It had been several years since the first appearance of Cupid Me, and Eric had gotten used to his occasional presence, strange though it was.

Right now though, he was more relieved than anything. Dealing with this sort of thing was much easier with an actual Cupid on his side.

Fluttering to the other side of Eric’s head, the tiny creature let out a little giggle before saying, “But if love is love, then it takes form in all shapes and sizes.” Then for good measure, the thing let out a tinkling, “Teehee.” Well, that was an idea Eric could get behind. In all his experience, and to be fair, he had quite a bit for someone who didn’t want a relationship himself, Love didn’t give a fuck about what someone looked like. It was magical like that.

Hands shifting over his blankets, Eric said in a serious voice. “I guess. Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t support it.” Cupid Me nodded proudly, encouraging him.  _ Man, if only the world was that simple, _ Eric reflected as he formed the true part of his plan. “Alright,” he said, causing the tiny cupid to break out into a toothy grin. Smiling slightly himself, the brunet raised a hand and suggested, as casually as he could, “Maybe… you can help them get along.”

Of course, the both knew what that meant. Because that quiver of arrows on the creature’s back wasn’t for show, and Eric knew that love darts were no laughing matter. If he wanted Craig and Tweek to start getting along, he needed some intervention, and Cupid Me would do just  _ right. _

Excitedly dancing in the air, Cupid Me gasped and exclaimed, “Really? Can I?”  _ Perfect, this couldn’t have gone any better. _

Smiling graciously, Eric slid out of his bed as he said, “Yes, Cupid Me.” Walking to the window, the brunet made moves to throw it open, allowing this tiny version of him to once again flit out into the wide world. It was a risk, he knew. He’d seen the effects the little sucker had when he went off the rails, but Eric trusted him to do what was right when it came to matters of the heart.

“Make it quick,” Eric advised as the window slid up. “And don’t let anyone see you.”

“Oh thank you!” the creature exclaimed, his voice as high as ever. “I won’t!” As he floated out of the window, Eric watched him go with a satisfied smirk. Now this,  _ this _ was a job well done. Cupid Me would help Tweek and Craig, and in the end, no one would be any the wiser to his involvement. How  _ wonderful. _

_ So as you can see, I was never given the option to be the bad guy, I’ve always been misunderstood. And, well, if it means fixing other people’s lives, even when they don’t want them to be fixed, then I suppose I’ll just have to keep doing my job. _

Walking away from the window, Eric Cartman finally let a smirk crawl over his round face. For once, he couldn’t wait for school to come in the morning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I won't blame my mistakes when it comes to the portrayal of Cartman on her, I will say that I only got anywhere with his chapter because of the help of Emma. She's inspired me to write a better Cartman, and I hope that I'm at least making steps towards making him a more well rounded character.
> 
> We'll see if I can do better in the future. Sorry for mangling your baby, Emmalemma, I hope you love the chapter anyway *blows a kiss*


	21. In The Shadow of An Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world exploded, everyone died, it was absolute carnage.
> 
> In other words, fucking 2018 is finally over.
> 
> I hope y'all are still alive or something.
> 
> Enjoy.

Craig Tucker hated being scared.

It wasn’t something he could exactly control, he was beginning to realize as this new hellish reality dragged on. No matter what he did, he seemed to only find himself further plunged into the unrelenting agony that was existing in the god forsaken hellhole that was South Park.

Or, in other words, the art fair hadn’t gone well.

He could still see Tweek’s face, full of anger, true, unadulterated rage, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about it in return. Clearly, the blond boy had gone crazy, talking about how all of this didn’t matter, how it couldn’t hurt them.  _ He _ didn’t get it, he didn’t understand just how real and terrifying the situation was. 

Tweek wasn’t facing what Craig was.

There was that little voice in the back of his head saying it would be easier to face things if Tweek was by his side, but Craig refused to listen. That voice was wrong, because… Hunching his shoulders, the Noirette just kept walking down the hallway, Clyde by his side. Said brunet was staring at him, as though waiting for him to speak, which to be honest, Craig was pointedly  _ not _ doing. Instead, he maintained as much of his old flat expression as possible, as though it was his shield from the rest of the world.

To be honest, it wasn’t really working.

Clyde puffed out a breath.

“Look dude, I uh… I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s not your fault,” Craig responded stiffly, instantly knowing what Clyde was talking about. After all, it was the only damn thing on his mind. When Clyde’s only response was to puff out his cheeks and fall further behind the Noirette, Craig felt a small amount of guilt worm its way through the general haze of upset that had him in a hold.

“You’re my best friend dude,” the boy said, his voice gruff but soft. “You- You were just being stupid.” The words  _ It’s fine _ hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back. Mostly because they would have been a lie. At this point, it was pointless to lie to people in an attempt to spare their feelings. Besides, Craig wasn’t good at sparing feelings, in his estimation at least.

“Oh, okay,” Clyde said, seeming to accept this at face value.  _ As he should, don’t pretend to be upset at him just because you’re upset at Tweek. _ “So… Are you going to start talking to Teacup again?”

There it was. He knew the question had been coming, Clyde adored Tweek as much as someone would a younger sibling. Logically, Clyde would ask if Craig and Tweek were going to  _ stop being stupid, _ it only made sense.

But Craig’s heart still clenched, and his insides revolted.

“No,” he muttered, clenching his fists in his pockets. “I’m not going to.”

Clyde spluttered, not unlike a dying car. “Craig!” he whined, catching up to the Noirette so he could gesticulate wildly. “C’mon, it’s dumb to act like this. He’s your-” he stumbled over the words. “Friend? And you’re just pushing him away.”

Instead of addressing what Clyde actually said, Craig grit his teeth together and muttered, “Yeah,  _ friend. _ He’s just a friend, he’s not my entire life, dumbass.”

Holding up his hands, eyebrows knitting together, Clyde said, “I never  _ said _ he was your whole life, Craig. But you two were-  _ are _ close and I miss just hanging out with you guys! Everything’s been weird for weeks, I’m tired of it.”

It was bluntly honest, just like Clyde usually was. Somehow, that made it worse. Craig almost would have prefered some line of bullshit, maybe Token’s calm explanation for why he was being an idiot, even Kenny’s vague advice would have been better. This was… painful to hear. 

Unfortunately, or perhaps inevitably, this only fueled Craig’s frustration. “We aren’t-” Clyde raised an unimpressed eyebrow and the Noirette switched tactics. “Look this isn’t my fault.”

“Well, it’s not  _ not _ your fault either,” Clyde pointed out, puffing his cheeks out in a pout. As the other kids in the hallway flowed around them, Craig attempted to force himself to accept what Clyde was saying. If he hadn’t acted gay, people wouldn’t be calling him gay, but… It was so much more than that! It wasn’t that simple, he couldn’t just brush the whole matter off like it was nothing because it  _ wasn’t. _ Which in the end, only left him more frustrated with his best friend.  _ Stop pushing this on me, I didn't do this, I didn’t choose for this to happen. _

“I’m not gay,” Craig muttered at last, his voice almost lost to the hubbub of the halls.

“Craig,” Clyde began, his face falling. The Noirette braced himself for  _ another _ talk about acceptance and other things that were a dream as far as he was concerned, but no such thing was forthcoming. Instead, the brunet froze, his eyes flicking behind Craig.

Before he could ask Clyde what the hell was going on, the tall boy heard a voice that instantly had him rearing for a fight.

“H-Hey!” 

Spinning sharply, Craig’s insides jumbled and ran for cover at the sight of Tweek pushing his way to the Noirette. Around them, like it was a goddamn ritual, people started parting, whispering as they did so. The blond looked like a mess, his eyes were shadowed and his grip was absent of its usual cup of coffee. Without it, his hands clenched at his sides, twitching fingers digging into his palms. Backing up, Craig started to shake his head. He was already full of too many emotions, he didn’t need this too.

“Leave me alone!” Craig instantly burst, his voice unstable. For a moment, it was clear Tweek was taken aback, but then his mouth solidified into a stubborn, angry line, and Craig knew things weren’t going to end well.

“You know what?!” the blond announced, his teeth bared. “No! I’m n-not going to leave you alone. Rrr- we need to talk!” Which was the last thing Craig wanted to hear. As the fear he’d been feeling for too long now made its unpleasant appearance, the Noirette kept backing up, right until he ran into Kevin Stoley, who was watching the proceedings with several other kids.

Holding out his hand, Craig glared at Tweek and yelled, “I don’t want you near me!” Looking around, as though for help in this situation, the boy continued, somewhat wildly, “Stay at least… one hundred yards back!” Arbitrary though it might be, Craig needed to have some measure of space. All he could think was that if Tweek got closer, he wouldn’t get space, and everyone would see through him to whatever hideous malformation was growing in his chest. They’d see the thing that was slowly killing him as Tweek got closer, the dark thing that made people believe he was gay.

Yanking on his hair with one hand, Tweek kept advancing, all the while loudly questioning, “Jesus!! W-why are you acting so crazy right now man?! Why are you so- so scared??” That was too close to the truth, it made Craig’s insides rebell angrily, and his face pale.

More kids were gathering, most of them had formed a circle around the two of them like this was some sort of spectical to watch. Token was there, examining the two of them incredulously like he wanted to butt in but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. Red was in the back, staring at Craig like he’d lost his mind. Flicking his eyes towards the flash of orange in the crowd, the Noirette’s stomach sank at the sight of Kenny watching him with sympathy in his eyes. That expression alone made him want to find a hole to curl up and die in.

Fighting against the truth staring him in the face, Craig spat, “I’m not the crazy one, you are!” Pointing at Tweek, anger and fear battling for control over his head, the Noirette called, “You’re out of your mind!” Maybe he was imagining things, but Craig could have sworn his hand shook. 

Those words hit a nerve. Craig could see the change in Tweek’s expression as he advanced swiftly on the taller boy, his twitching getting exponentially worse. “S-STOP CALLING ME CRAZY!!” he demanded, getting in Craig’s face, his wide green eyes furious and piercing. “YOU ARE- ngh- You’re acting so stupid!!”

Without thinking, Craig roughly shoved Tweek back, needing space. “Got a fuckin’ problem, man?” he demanded, his own eyes dark as he stared at this twitchy blond who he couldn’t stop caring about.  _ Please, just let this end. _

Thrusting his finger against Craig’s chest, Tweek yelled, “You’re th-the one with the fuckin’  _ problem.” _ Then he threw his weight against Craig, forcing the Noirette to stumble back, unsteadied. As memories of another fight filled his head, the boy stood taller, sick of the  _ shit _ and the terror. It wasn’t fair, he didn’t deserve this, and no matter how much Tweek did or didn’t mean to him, Craig wasn’t going to put up with this any longer.

If that meant blows then so be it.

Gritting his teeth, Craig’s nasally voice rose in volume as he snapped, “I thought I told you to stay a hundred yards from me!” This time when he shoved against Tweek, the blond was ready and he braced himself against Craig’s weight. Stepping a few paces back from the Noirette, Tweek twitched hard, his eyes blinking sporadically and his mouth pulling at the corners.

“You better not fuckin’ push me again, man!” Tweek warned, rage building up behind that wild blond hair. Craig could see it clearly, and it only fueled the fire that was slowly consuming him. He was pointing a trembling finger at the Noirette, but it wasn’t his usual twitchiness, no, the taller boy could clearly see it was anger.

From the sidelines, the voice of Cartman crawled up. “Oh-ho, come on, you guys.” Craig’s eyes drifted towards the heavy boy for a moment, just long enough for him to smirk at the Noirette maliciously before calling, “Get a room!”

Craig recoiled, and Tweek’s eyes narrowed. His gaze said  _ coward _ and Craig could only ball his fists as if to say  _ fucking try me. _

And Tweek did.

In an instant, the blond was flying at the Noirette, a fist directed at Craig’s face. As it connected with Craig's eye, the boy stumbled back for a moment before reeling back and knocking Tweek straight across the jaw. The moment his hand had connected with the boy’s skin, Craig wanted to take it back, but there was still so much  _ anger _ and he didn’t know what to do with it other than to attack.

Attempting to go in for another attack, Tweek missed his shot and Craig caught him by his unevenly buttoned shirt. As the regrettably familiar material slipped through his fingers, the taller boy slammed his fist into Tweek’s face, sending the boy’s head flying back. This advantage was short lived, however, as the blond delivered a solid punch to Craig’s nose, causing the boy to groan and release him.

Tweek shouted loudly in distress, the force behind his own shout driving him into Craig, only for the Noirette to knock him to the floor. Climbing attop the blond, Craig lifted up the twitching boy’s body before throwing it back to the floor. Screeching out a few unintelligible syllables at Craig, Tweek seized his hoodie and hooked a leg around the back of Craig’s knees. Using the sheer force that always seemed contained within his body, Tweek flipped them and grabbed for the Noirette’s hat.

“Get off of me!” Craig yelled, his eyes blazing. “You fucking- I said get  _ off!” _ As the emotions from what felt like too long built up in the back of his throat, Craig snatched at the smaller boy’s uneven collar, pulled Tweek close enough that he could see each individual fleck of green in the boy’s eyes, and hollered without restraint, “SCREW YOU TWEEK TWEAK!” 

Instead of backing away, Tweek pulled on the strings of Craig’s chullo, yanking their faces together. Not even making an attempt at words, the blond simply screamed in his friend’s face, releasing what must have been weeks of pent up energy and  _ stress. _ If Craig hadn’t known how the blond was feeling, he did now.

Drained of the  _ everything _ that had been clogging his blood, at least for the time being, Craig went limp. Like he too had exhausted his own supply of anger, Tweek released Craig’s hat, letting the Noirette’s head flop to the floor. Staring up at the blond, Craig felt a muted frustration well up once more.  _ Goddamnit why did we just do that? _ He felt…  _ Better, _ but he didn’t want to feel better. Fighting with Tweek got him nowhere, it wasn’t supposed to make him feel anything but guilty.

Instead, Craig felt like his head had cleared. The fog that had been clouding him dissipated, leaving his emotions more clear. Despite the problems not getting any easier to fix, they didn’t feel quite as crushing. And if the expression on Tweek’s face was anything to go by, he wasn’t as angry either, which had to be some sort of progress.

Maybe.

Screwing up his face, the blond balled his fists against Craig’s chest and muttered, “Rrr- I’m such an a-asshole.”

“Lucky for you,” Craig groaned, his cheek throbbing where Tweek had hit him. “So am I.”

“You two done?” someone -Kenny probably- called from the crowd still gathered around them.

“Well, uh, they’re done now! M’kay!” Both Craig and Tweek let out twin groans as Mr. Mackey stumbled into the scene like an awkward, ungainly stork. Pushing Tweek off of him, albeit with some amount of gentleness, Craig lifted his head and stared at the guidance counselor, who looked like he was about to blow something. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!? You can’t just fight in the hallways whenever you want, m’kay?”

“Actually, they were having sex,” Cartman said, smugly.

“Jesus, w-we weren’t having -rrr- Just sh-shut up Cartman,” Tweek bit out, sitting up and tugging at his collar, which was awkwardly bunched around his throat.

“Ooho, I’m sorry you can’t accept that you’re-”

Ignoring Mr. Mackey, and Tweek leaping to his feet like he was ready to fight Cartman himself, Craig turned and flipped the large boy off. “The day I fuck Tweek is the day the world ends, asshole,” the Noirette said, his voice rough yet still able to convey every bit of unamusement he felt. 

“Listen here damnit!” Mr. Mackey snapped, getting between Cartman and the other two boys. “I don’t care what kind of relationship you’re in, mhmm? You can’t go punching each other for no reason!”

“We had a reason,” Craig said, rubbing at his nose, which also ached. Everything sort of hurt.  _ Damn, I forgot how much of a punch Tweek packed. _

“Your reasons weren’t good, probably,” Mr. Mackey snapped. “M’kay, I want both of you in my office at once. You two need to talk things out like adults, not like children.”

“They are children,” muttered someone, probably Token.

“I heard that!” the counselor shouted, spinning on his heels. “You all aren’t helping! Craig and Tweek aren’t entertainment, m’kay?! They are students who need to handle their issues in a mature way, and you egging them on does nothing. I want you all to just get along to class right now.” Disappointedly, with many sighs and cries of  _ lame, _ the crowd started to do as they were told, all the gathered fifth and fourth graders wandering back off to the classes they should have been getting to.

When he passed the blond boy, Kyle eyed Tweek meaningfully, as though to say  _ we need to have a chat. _ Craig could already imagine what kind of bullshit was about to be foisted upon the other boy, but his thoughts were distracted by Clyde’s pat on the shoulder. Glancing up at his friend, Craig found a strange expression on the congenial brunet’s face. He looked torn between acceptance and frustration. Which… considering the fact Craig had just fought Tweek, his supposed friend, probably made sense.

Unable to reassure the boy verbally, and unsure if he’d have anything to say in the first place, Craig just dipped his head, staring down at his scuffed jeans. 

“I want both of you to come with me,” Mr. Mackey repeated at last, seemingly satisfied that his job had been done. “I’m tired of letting everything get so chaotic, that new PC Principal, completely inept, doesn’t know how to run anything…” The last bit was muttered under his breath, clearly not meant for either of their ears.

Heaving himself to his feet, Craig tugged his chullo down over his forehead before doing as he was bid, unsure how he was supposed to go against it. Tweek followed suit, his hands balling in his hair for a moment before he swallowed audibly and scurried after them. If this had been a different time, Craig might have reached for Tweek’s hand. But as it was, he stuffed both in his pockets and felt something stir in his gut when the blond bumped into him accidentally as they turned a corner.

The moment Mr. Mackey had the door closed behind them, he was berating them.

“I thought that you two had made genuine progress, but instead, you two have ruined each other, m’kay? I used to think that there was a chance that you were normal kids, but all you do is fight and yell and make other people’s lives hard!” Tweek physically dodged, like he was trying to avoid Mackey’s words. Craig just stood there, slightly more miserable than before, but unwilling to back down.

“So what?” he asked, pulling a flatly sullen expression. “Just give us detention or something.” Not that he wanted detention. The thought of trying to explain that to his father made a chill run down his back, but at least it would be better than whatever shame the school was trying to inflict on him. Marginally, at least.

Tweek, on the other hand, screamed out a, “NGH JESUS MAN YOU C-CAN’T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!”

Turning to the blond, Craig gave him a  _ what _ look, because the boy had clearly survived worse. Still, he could see the stress the simple thought of detention but on the blond, and eventually Craig backed off. 

“See, that’s what I’m talking about, m’kay!” Mr. Mackey exclaimed, sitting down behind his desk so he could clutch the edge and stare out over it at them. “You two are  _ not _ helping each other, in fact, you’re making each other miserable, and irritable, and then we have fights like out there, which doesn’t help anyone!”

“He doesn’t make me miserable,” Craig pushed out, his teeth gritted.

“Y-you don’t get to make that decision,” Tweek spat, twitching hard to the right as he spoke.

Craig  _ almost _ felt good hearing that, until the realization that they sort of  _ had _ been making each other’s lives miserable sunk in.  _ Maybe Mr. Mackey’s got a point. _

“I’m not trying to tell you who to be friends with!” the counselor burst, throwing his hands in the air. “It didn’t work last time, and it ain’t gonna work this time. You two are just  _ stuck _ together, so you might as well try and get along, m’alright?”

“We aren’t stuck!” Craig snapped. “We’re- We…” Frustrated with his own inability to articulate his thoughts, the Noirette fell silent, balling his fists.

“Exactly,” Mr. Mackey snapped in the silence. “Tweek, you can’t jump on Craig, and Craig you can’t punch Tweek, no matter how annoyed you two are.”

“The whole school is making our lives miserable!” Tweek yelped, tugging at the hem of his shirt. “Don’t you get it, it’s not- W-we aren’t-”

“You fought each other, m’kay?” the man snapped, raising his voice. “And that’s final, now I need you two to-” 

Whatever Mr. Mackey needed them to do, they never found out. At that moment, the phone on the counselor’s desk rung loudly, and the man paused in his tirade so he could pick it up, his face instantly melting to nervousness.

Though they couldn’t hear what was said, Craig picked up on the tone of what sounded like PC Principal. Internally, he sighed. Externally, he crossed his arms and stared at the ground as Mr. Mackey insisted, “B-but I was helping- No, Sir, I was-” A long pause. “Alright alright! I’ll bring them down!!” 

Glancing over at Tweek, Craig raised tired eyebrows. The blond resisted his natural urge to grab his hair, instead opting to nibble on his thumbnail before letting his shoulders slump.  _ Yeah, it’s probably not good. _ Glumly, Craig went back to staring at the floor.

“I guess we’ll have to finish this conversation later, m’kay?” Mr. Mackey said, somewhat worriedly. “Th’ Principal wants to see you both. So I’m going to escort you there.”

“Fine,” Craig muttered, interested in nothing but getting it over with.

“A-alright,” Tweek agreed, edging towards Craig without actually coming into contact with the boy.

Glancing out of him from the corner of his eye, Craig found a small, brief smile tug at his lips. Whatever happened, Tweek and he… Well, they’d probably still be friends. And even if they fought, they’d probably figure it out.  _ Maybe I’m worried for nothing. _

All he had to do was find a way out of the situation, and everything would be okay.

Probably.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know this is a wild concept, but I'm going to write the next chapter tomorrow, before I forget what I'm doing. Because stuff happens, and things. Honestly, their emotions are all over the place in this episode, so it's hard to like... work around everything. But on the bright side... they're uh... not fighting anymore. Yet.
> 
> Yeah, let's go with that.
> 
> Love you guys, every one of you is awesome. I hope you have a fucking fantastic new year, and I hope 2019 treats you all right.


	22. Choice Is Agony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I deliver? You tell me?
> 
> Honestly, thank you to the people still here, you guys mean the fucking world to me. Every comment I get, every view, every kudo, it honestly just makes me so fucking happy.
> 
> So yeah, uh... thank v much.
> 
> Enjoy.

It was official, Tweek  _ hated _ PC Principal.

In all his years at that god-forsaken school, the twitchy blond never thought that he’d wish for Mr. Mackey, but as he sat down beside Craig in the Principal’s office, he was struck with a savage wish that he could just go back to the way things used to be. When the principal didn’t care and it was up to their ostrich like counselor to deal with them. At least Tweek knew how to handle people who couldn’t give less of a crap when it came to his well being. 

Now, that wasn’t to say that PC Principal actually  _ cared, _ but his pretense of doing so was special in ways Tweek didn’t have words for.

Right now, he was struggling to come up with these words, rather than tear his own hair out like he wanted to. The blond’s arms were firmly crossed over his chest, mirroring the way Craig was sitting. Neither of them were in particularly good moods, they’d just pummeled each other in the middle of the school, after all. But at least it wasn’t quite as tense as it had been.

Tweek was sitting next to the Noirette, and the boy wasn’t screaming or running or telling the blond that he was crazy. Again, the smaller boy knew that Craig had a point when it came to that last thing, but his friend - _ are we friends? Jesus, sometimes I wonder...-  _ should have known better than to keep calling him insane. It had genuinely hurt.

But maybe they’d gotten past it. They weren’t yet at the point of apologies, Tweek knew he needed to say sorry for some of the things he’d been doing, and Craig definitely needed to apologize for pushing Tweek away, but… Alright, maybe they’d get there eventually. Shivering, Tweek glanced over his shoulder at Craig, only to find the Noirette already facing him. 

There was a frown on that bruised face, one that might have scared Tweek at one point, but now, the blond was able to read it.  _ I’m still upset with you, I’m still upset in general, but I’ll get over it. _

With a small  _ rrr, _ Tweek fisted a hand in the hem of his shirt before glancing down at the floor.  _ I’m still annoyed you let it get to this point, but I’ll get over it too, _ his actions said, with equal clarity. It was a tenuous agreement, but Tweek felt like it was probably enough. After the past few days, even that much felt like a breath of fresh air.

Inhaling, the sound almost rattling in the silence, Tweek turned back to his side of the room, crossing his arms once more.

“So boys,” PC Principal said, his eyes ever hidden behind his sunglasses. Vaguely, Tweek recalled Clyde muttering something about how only douchebags wore sunglasses inside. Though he couldn’t comment on that particular matter, considering he didn’t know anything about douches, the blond figured he could trust Clyde’s judgement on the matter.

Shivering, Tweek pushed out, “What?”

Reaching forward, the principal picked up a hand grip that was lying on his desk and began to squeeze it in his hand. It was one of those things that only two people had in their offices. Those who had anger management issues, and those that wished they did. If Tweek had known this, he would have suspected it to be the former. As it was, he just stuck out his bottom lip and twitched, waiting with Craig for their judgement to be leveled.

“I see you two had a  _ fight _ , today? Yeah? Which isn’t cool bro, I’m telling you that right now. As someone who believes that  _ respect _ should be at the core of any relationship, you can’t just go throwing punches.” Instantly, both Craig and Tweek reacted, Tweek lurching forward in his seat and the Noirette flipping the principal off with a grunt of disgust. Ignoring both of them, PC Principal continued to squeeze his hand grip, his eyes supposedly trained on them both.

“We fought because Tweek cornered me,” Craig pointed out, which caused the blond to whip around.  _ He’s still twisting this! Oh Christ, I thought he’d be over it by now. _ Well, maybe considering the fight had only just happened, it was still a little too early for things to turn around.  _ I need to get used to this, _ Tweek realized, biting the inside of his cheek.  _ We don’t immediately make up anymore. _

“I only cornered him b-because he’s been avoiding me,” Tweek informed the principal, as though this was going to change anything. Craig let out a snort at the blond’s words, dismissing them. Twisting, Tweek snapped, “NGh- YOU ARE! D-Don’t act like you aren’t.” Craig puffed out his cheeks at that, but he didn’t make another disparaging sound, so Tweek counted it as a win.

“You’re both angry right now, and that happens,” PC Principal agreed, completely ignoring what they’d actually said. “Now, I want you two to stop fighting, because you’ve already gotten your feelings out, and if you keep going over it-”

“I want to know why y-you’re scared,” Tweek blurted out, turning to Craig. “Jesus man, we always face these k-kind of things together, and you’re just running away from m-me!! It doesn’t -rrr- It doesn’t do anything!”

“I’m not-” Craig froze, before biting his lip and withdrawing. “Look, how I’m feeling is none of your damn business, Tweek.”

“Actually, Craig Tucker, if you want to make a relationship-”

“We aren’t in a fucking relationship,” Craig informed the man, looking very much like he wanted to flip PC Principal off again.

Relenting, giving in to himself, Tweek tugged on his hair with a hand before growling and saying, “A-Actually, it is my business, because I’m your friend, Craig.”

“That’s not how it works, Tweek,” the Noirette told him. Frustrated, Tweek yanked harder on his own hair before letting out a growl and spinning around. After a moment, Craig muttered, “I’d tell you if I could, but I just…  _ can’t. _ I’ve tried and it doesn’t get anywhere.”

“See, this is what communication looks like, bro,” the principal told Tweek, turning to the blond and squeezing the grip a little harder. “People, they don’t always know what they’re feeling, or how to say it, so you just gotta accept it, you know?”

_ No, I don’t know. _ Well, maybe the man had a decent point. And maybe Tweek should listen, because he was admittedly making sense. No matter how little the blond liked it, Craig wasn’t required to tell him everything. Sure, Tweek had become accustomed to knowing what was going on in the Noirette’s mind at all times, but he didn’t  _ need _ to. He could still be a good friend without knowing everything. 

But he didn’t like it. The thought that Craig was keeping things from him stressed Tweek out, and Christ, he didn’t need that kind of pressure! What could be so bad that the Noirette didn’t want to tell him? But Craig said that he’d tried to explain, so was Tweek just stupid and missing the hints? It had to do with them not being gay, but everyone believing they were so… what about that could possibly stress Craig out more than it stressed the blond out? People believed they were something they really weren’t, and Tweek hated it!

But it scared Craig, despite the Noriette insisting he wasn’t scared. Which only sent Tweek into another spiral of worry.

“I’m proud of you two for not letting this destroy your relationship,” the principal commented, reaching for the phone as he spoke. “The first fight is always the hardest bro, I get it-”

“Th-This isn’t our first fight,” Tweek muttered, a twitching, rueful smile creeping up over his lips as he stared at the carpeted floor.

“And we don’t have a relationship to destroy,” Craig added, his deadpan unimpressed. For a moment, Tweek wanted to contradict the boy, tell him that their  _ friendship _ was something that could be destroyed, but… well, maybe that wasn’t entirely accurate. If this hadn’t crushed it entirely, then Tweek wasn’t sure how much it would take.  _ Not that I want to find out! Oh god, why would I want something like that? That’s so horrible, I can’t think like that!! _

“Well, as long as there were no issues with anything we’ve talked about,” PC Principal pressed on, completely passing over their comments, much like he always did. “I’m going to call your parents-”

“OH GOD WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?” Tweek screeched, yanking on his hair as Craig startled and flipped the man off, his eyes widening slightly.

“BECAUSE BRO-!” the principal started to shout back, only to withdraw slightly, squeeze his grip harder, and take deep breaths. “Because Tweek, you just got into a fight with another student, and we’re going to send both of you home with some money, because we want to be supportive of you two, but we don’t want to encourage this kind of behavior, alright?”

“I- money?” Craig asked weakly, confused.

“Yeah dude, because we support you two being gay,” PC Principal said stoutly, as he clicked in a number to the phone on his desk. Holding the receiver to his ear, the man stared hard at Tweek, causing the boy to sink back in his chair and cross his arms _yet again._ _Jesus, I’m turning into Craig._ Well, maybe a little of Craig’s ability to pretend not care was useful.

Still, he flinched as his father’s voicemail met his ears.  _ “I’m sorry, but we can’t come to the phone right now! Maybe you should drop by Tweak Bro’s coffee and talk to me there, where you can enjoy a cup of our wonderful, all natural, locally sourced coffee. It's the taste that the good American craves, with it’s strong-”  _ PC Principal hung up the phone, obviously unimpressed.

“Alright, I guess I’m calling your father, Craig,” the principal stated. Craig didn’t  _ flinch, _ but he did blink several times before screwing up his face in frustration and turning away from the situation. Staring at his own side of the room, Tweek wished there was something he could do to make the PC Principal leave them both alone, but he knew it was a lost cause. In this man’s eyes, they were gay. There was nothing he could do to change that opinion.

As the phone rang, Craig shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. Tweek didn’t blame him.  _ God, I hope it’s all over soon. If we’re getting sent home early, then I just want to leave. I’m so sick of all of this! _

“Hello Mr. Tucker.” PC Principal eyed the two of them from behind those infernal sunglasses. “I need to inform you that your son was in an altercation at school today.” Tweek twitched at the words, Craig didn’t react. Considering the fact the boy used to actually get into fights, maybe this wasn’t surprising. After all, he’d probably been in this situation before.

From the other end of the line, both boys heard the gruff tones of Thomas Tucker ask, in an almost excited voice,  _ “Craig? Craig got in a fight?” _ Tweek didn’t understand why the man was excited about it, but his attentions were focused on PC Principal, so he didn’t look to Craig for answers. Besides, the Noirette seemed rather focused himself.

Squeezing the hand grip a little harder, the principal took a breath before responding, “Yes, with his boyfriend.” Opening his mouth, horrified that the man was so quick to just  _ say something not true, _ Tweek just let his stomach sink with a sort of resigned acceptance. A lump of anger tried to spark in his chest, but at this point, it just sputtered weakly.  _ Why would I expect anything different? _

Like their reactions meant nothing to him, the principal continued, “Just a lovers' quarrel, probably.” Tweek so badly wanted to snap that it  _ wasn’t, _ but thankfully, Craig expressed this for him much more succinctly.

Rolling his eyes in a glare, the Noirette bit out a, “Goddamnit,” before turning away from PC Principal, clearly sick of the conversation. Tweek could still feel the boy’s fear, even without looking at him, but it just made him more upset. Not at Craig, no, the blond was furious that the principal was making his friend feel worse for no other reason than to be  _ supportive. _ It  _ pissed _ Tweek off.

But he couldn’t do anything with that anger, so in the end, it just left him twitching and glaring off to the side like he could kill the floor with a look.

Continuing on with his phone conversation, the PC Principal said, “Something to be expected in relationships”  _ We aren’t in a relationship, Jesus! _ “Apparently there were no affirmative consent issues, as your son knows the right way to play with another boy's penis.”

Craig sighed beside Tweek, that defeated, tired sigh of someone who was tired of life in general. Turning slightly to look at the Noirette, Tweek found dread lurking in the boy’s dark blue eyes.

From over the phone, Thomas Tucker muttered,  _ “Oh God…!” _

Which, honestly, Tweek understood. That was his mood right now too.

“There's not gonna be any disciplinary action since they are gay.” PC Principal informed Craig’s dad. Tweek simply sank lower in his chair by a fraction of an inch, shivering as he did so.  _ Yeah, gay, that’s all I am now, isn’t it? The world has decided what I am and now I don’t even get a choice. _ “We wanna be supportive, so we're just gonna send them on home with some money, alright? Alright, you have a nice day.”

Hanging up the phone, PC Principal reached into his desk and pulled out two crisp fifty dollar bills before handing them over the desk to the two of them. “Now I want you to go home and think about how to work together better in the future. Relationships are important, bro, and I-”

“Yeah, whatever,” Craig muttered, reaching forward and grabbing both of the bills, handing one of them to Tweek like he couldn’t care less. Letting out a squeak, Tweek shoved the money back at the Noirette.

“W-we’ll go home, God, just leave us alone,” Tweek mumbled, pushing up out of his chair and standing next to it before realizing he had no reason to wait for Craig in the way he was.  _ Go on, you don’t have to hold his hand to leave the room. You’re better than that, now. _

And maybe he was.

As Craig followed Tweek out of the principal’s office, Tweek turned to Craig and said, “Y-you should give that money to Kenny or s-something. I -ghn- Christ I’m tired of people handing me money because they think I’m gay!”

“I’ll do that,” Craig muttered, watching Tweek somewhat awkwardly, his posture still hunched, yet not as much as it had been that morning. “Kenny… could probably use it.” After a few seconds, Craig took a breath and looked the blond directly in the eye. “Someday, I’ll explain it to you. But not right now.” That was it, no context, no explanation, but Tweek understood.

“You can t-tell me when you’re ready,” Tweek responded in a squeak, twitching minutely.

“Thanks dude,” Craig said, his voice flat yet marginally relieved. “I’m gonna find Kenny.”

“Okay,” Tweek answered, feeling lost for a moment, before remembering what he was supposed to be doing. “I- I’m going home.”

“Yeah.” Then Craig turned and walked away, tugging his chullo down over his forehead as he went.

Spinning on his heels, Tweek hurried down the hallway, convinced that he’d had enough drama and stress for his entire life. Unfortunately, the world had other ideas.

“Hey, Tweek!” 

Physically trying to strangle the screech that escaped through his throat by slamming a hand into his windpipe, Tweek found himself coughing pathetically as Kyle walked up to him, the boy’s face set into its usual half-scowl of concentration. “Oh god,” Tweek whimpered, wondering why he found the need to beat himself up more after fighting with Craig already that day. “W-what do you want, Kyle? You’re s-supposed to be in class!”

“Mrs Choksondik doesn’t care,” Kyle said flatly, which was true, but didn’t help Tweek’s stress in the slightest. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Ngh- WHY?” Tweek yelped, reaching for his hair only for Kyle to glare at him, as if daring him to give into his neurotic tendencies. Whimpering yet again, the blond fisted his hands in the hem of his shirt instead.

Staring at the blond for another few moments, Kyle finally spoke. “What are you and Craig?”

“OH GOD WE- WE AREN’T TOGETHER!” Tweek yelled, only for Kyle to glare at him more fiercely. Slapping a hand over his own mouth, the smaller boy shivered and shuffled his feet over the linoleum floor. When Kyle finally stopped staring him down, the boy pulled a few fingers away and said in a muffled voice, “R-REeally w-we aren’t.”

“Yeah, Craig said the same thing,” Kyle commented, his eyes drifting to the middle distance, like he was trying to work his way through the situation. Furrowing his brows, the redhead gave Tweek another piercing look. “Cartman says you two are fucking, but we’re ten, and he’s full of shit.”

“S-so you believe me?” Tweek asked, his eyes widening at the thought that  _ finally _ someone other than Craig would believe that he wasn’t gay.

“No, I don’t believe you,” Kyle said, shooting down Tweek’s moment of hopefulness efficiently. “But I know that you believe you, and I guess that’s what’s important.” Utterly confused with this train of thought, Tweek tilted his head, much like a confused puppy, causing Kyle to sigh.

“Look, people are calling you gay for a reason Tweek,” the redhead told him, starting to walk down the hallway. Following him, Tweek nibbled on his lip, waiting for Kyle to continue talking. “You spend all your time around Craig, you hang off of him, he hangs off of you. Both of you are inseparable.”

“But th-that doesn’t mean we’re gay!” Tweek insisted, balling his fists. “Ghn-- WHAT ABOUT YOU AND STAN?!” Shivering, the boy struggled to make himself make sense. “Y-you two are always around each other and you guys are super close!”

“Yeah, but we don’t act like you two do,” Kyle said, rounding on Tweek and giving him a stony look.  _ “We _ are super best friends. You and Craig are  _ gay.” _

“Well then, w-what are we supposed to do if we aren’t!?” Tweek demanded, frustrated with Kyle’s confusing attitude.

“Stop hanging out around each other,” Kyle answered, shrugging as though this answer was obvious. “It doesn’t matter if you two are friends, right now, to the whole world, you’re gay. And that’s not gonna change. So you basically have to either accept that you’re gay, or stop hanging out around Craig.”

“B-but I don’t want to do either,” Tweek squeaked, clenching his jaw sporadically.

“Yeah, well, tough shit,” Kyle said, stoutly. “The world is bullshit, so you just have to deal with it.” After a moment more of silence, Kyle muttered, “You can try to do something different, Tweek, but in the end, that’s the choice you’re going to make.”

Then, without another word, the redheaded boy walked away, leaving Tweek alone in the middle of the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly love Kyle and this chapter was so fun to write NOW WHERE DID I PUT MY FUCKING PLOT CHART! I need to make sure the next chapter isn't a complete failure. 
> 
> Uh, prepare for angst.
> 
> Also, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get that next chapter out, but I'm going to shoot for tomorrow. After all, it's best to get the ideas out sooner while I still have them rather than later when I don't got _sHIT._
> 
> Love y'all, hope this made you crack a smile.


	23. Don't You Cry No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sitting at my old library, mooching off their wifi for this. I hope it's worth it to y'all.
> 
> In all seriousness, I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. I'm currently undergoing a family visit and you know what kind of shit that causes. Technically, I have another chapter finished in addition to this one, ready and rearing to be posted, but... I'm gonna hold off. Even if that means I can't post until I get back to my true home, a few days from now, I'm going to let this chapter stand on its own.
> 
> This one is important guys. Really important.
> 
> Enjoy.

“You shouldn’t be skipping school.”

“Nonsense, Fucker, walking with you is one of my most importantest things to do!”

Craig sighed. “I bet there are places you would rather be.”

Waving this away, Kenny smiled. “You’re my friend, Craigory, so that statement is clearly ridiculous. Besides-” The boy’s expression morphed into a smirk. “Everyone else is in school.”

“Which is where  _ you _ should be,” Craig intoned, stuffing his hands into his pockets to protect them from the chill. “Come on, I’m fine.”

“Uh… no you aren’t,” Kenny said, tapping his nose wisely. “I’ve known you for a while, Craig. You’re not good at hiding when you’re not having a good time.”

Staring at Kenny, unsure if he should feel insulted or resigned -or maybe even glad that someone could read him when he needed them to- Craig finally just settled on saying, “Just cause Tweek and I agreed to give you that money doesn’t mean you have to-”

“Honestly Craig, can’t you just accept that you’re my friend and I care when my friend is upset?” Kenny asked, the question actually stopping the Noirette in his tracks. That was… the most blunt the blond had ever put the matter, the most honest. It was almost weird. Then again, Craig felt himself relax at the confirmation that even if he and Tweek weren’t on the best of terms, Kenny wasn’t going to abandon him. 

_ He’s not just Tweek’s friend, don’t be stupid about it. _

Relaxing somewhat, as though satisfied that Craig understood, Kenny cracked a crooked grin. “Now, you gonna tell your ol’ Kenners what’s bothering you?” Snorting at the boy’s words, Craig shrugged minutely and started walking again, passing the blond and letting him catch up.

“Same old shit,” the Noirette commented, his eyes fixed on the sidewalk. 

After getting told to go home following PC Principal’s horrible call to his parents, Craig hadn’t exactly been looking for company, but Kenny had a way of ignoring that and giving company anyway. The boy had instantly followed him out of the school, saying as he did so  _ I’ll be back to hang with Butterfree and the rest by lunch, right now, I’m going with you. _ Craig pretended not to care, but in reality, he was glad for the boy’s presence.

Kenny had that air about him that suggested just relaxing and not worrying over shit. Though Craig had once faced this aura with suspicion and mistrust, over time, thanks to both Tweek’s trust in the Sandy-blond and Kenny’s own actions, the relationship had shifted somewhat. Mysteriously, Craig found comfort in Kenny, rather than a general sense of unease. 

So when Kenny had waltzed out the doors of the school, following after Craig like he didn’t have a care in the world, the Noirette hadn’t exactly fought back. Now they were walking towards Craig’s house at a sedate pace, keeping up a rather light line of conversation between them. But of course, Kenny would never let that last, not when Craig was so obviously conflicted. That was just the kind of person Kenny seemed to be.

Once upon a time, Craig would have described it as nosy. Now… well, it was still pretty damn nosy, but it had a purpose, and it helped more often than it hurt.

So when Kenny said, “What kind of shit?” in a clearly prodding tone, Craig didn’t bristle. He just blew out a sigh and tugged on his chullo. Turning slightly, the boy caught the slightly rueful smile on Kenny’s face before he turned back to examining the sidewalk they were walking over.

“I’ve already told you about most of it,” Craig muttered, shrugging. “Or you just know.” That was something about Kenny he’d never get used to. The Noirette could accept that he was easy to read, but Kenny went above and beyond simple reading people. It was like he had a sixth sense and just  _ knew _ what was bothering someone. Probably, it should have been creepier than it actually was. But much like other habits of Kenny’s, it was more comforting than anything.

“I wasn’t  _ in _ the principal’s office with you, Tucker,” Kenny chided, wagging a finger. Gesturing at the sky with splayed fingers, Kenny continued, “Who  _ knows _ what you talked about in there!” Snorting at the boy’s familiarly mild theatrics, Craig rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly.

“I’ll bet you have an idea of what we talked about,” Craig responded, the chilled breeze blowing the Noirette’s hair into his eyes.  _ I should probably get this cut… _ he mused, allowing himself to be easily distracted because thinking about his predicament wasn’t fun. Tucking the stray locks back under his hat, Craig resentfully muttered, “It’s the  _ only _ thing anyone talks about anymore.”

Kenny hissed in a breath through his teeth. “Yeah… Our school sucks like that.” They were words that Craig had repeated to himself many a time before, words that Tweek had said over and over again, but hearing them from someone who wasn’t directly affected by the shitshow felt good. Having a neutral party, or maybe even one that believed Craig when he insisted that he wasn’t gay and this was all dumb, was a win in the Noirette’s eyes.

“I literally fought with Tweek in the hallway, and they said it was a  _ lover’s quarrel,” _ Craig bit out, kicking a pebble with his shoe as he did. “What do they want me to do? Not talk to him? Ignore him forever? He’s my fucking friend, and we both hate this! It’s so  _ stupid _ and why do  _ I _ have to deal with it? Why is it always me?”

At that, Kenny let out a burst of laughter that almost startled the Noirette. “Oh  _ Craig,” _ the boy crooned, his eyes alight with a terrible sort of mirth. “You have  _ no idea  _ what it’s like for it to  _ always be you.” _

“Then what is this stuff supposed to be!?” Craig demanded, his volume rising as he spoke. “Don’t laugh at me McCormick, I deal with shit all the time and I don’t ask for any of it.”

“You think  _ I _ ask for the shit I have to deal with?” Kenny asked, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he spoke. “Do you think that  _ any _ of us  _ ask _ the world for things to go wrong?” When Craig snapped his mouth shut and scowled at the Sandy-blond, the boy chuckled softly. “Craig, no one ever  _ wants _ things to go wrong, but lemme tell you something, everyone always has shit going on, and no one asked for any of it.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Craig asked, feeling very much like the child he sort of knew he was.

“I’m telling you that you’re not the only one,” Kenny informed him, elbowing him in the ribs. Grunting, Craig hunched his shoulders for a moment as he contemplated those words. They weren’t exactly reassuring, but they also weren’t  _ not _ reassuring. Sucking in a breath before blowing it out again, the Noirette nodded minutely, accepting what Kenny had said.

“I’m just sick of it,” Craig muttered, glancing off to the side as he spoke. As his eyes roved the ground, the boy wondered what Kenny was going through. He’d mentioned  _ shit, _ and Craig almost felt guilty for unloading all his problems onto the easy-going blond without ever knowing what Kenny was going through in return. For a moment, he considered asking, but as his eyes wandered to the boy in question, Craig found an unreadable look beyond the simple smile Kenny wore.  _ Maybe I’ll ask another time, _ the Noirette decided.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Kenny agreed, sticking his gloved hands into his pockets with a small, regretful chuckle. “Everyone is convinced you’re something you aren’t.” His tone suggested he knew what that was like, and again Craig almost asked, but he held himself back at the last second.  _ Just admit it, you’re never going to understand Kenny. _ “People keep pushing you into a box that you’re… not  _ happy  _ about.”

Puffing his cheeks out at the weighted way Kenny said the words, almost like he meant something else, Craig said, “It’s… I hate it.”

“But you’re already used to it,” Kenny chirped, scuffing his shoes over the pavement. “Or you’re getting used to it pretty quickly.” When the Noirette gave him a look, shocked that Kenny would even suggest such a thing, the Sandy-blond waved a finger. “Come on Craigory, you can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to me.” As he half-sang the words, Kenny lowered his lids and stared pointedly at Craig. “I’m not Tweek, I’m not going through this stuff as well. I have an outsider’s perspective.”

Though he didn’t answer immediately, Craig felt himself deflate. Unfortunately, Kenny was right, as usual. He didn’t  _ like _ what was happening, but he expected it at this point. He hated it, and he dreaded to think what his father was going to do when he got home, but… it was getting to be normal. Get up, go to school, be called gay. Yeah, nothing new to see there. “Can we have a conversation where you don’t get inside my head?” the Noirette finally asked, huffing.

“I dunno Fucker, maybe if you weren’t so easy to read, I wouldn’t,” Kenny said, shrugging. “Or maybe you could just tell me when something was up like Tweek does.” Pulling a face, the blond mused, “You say one thing and it all just comes  _ tumbling _ out of his mouth like he can’t stop himself. It’s… almost impressive. Man, if only everyone else was so open. I’d read him like a book, but there’s hardly any reading involved…”

Trailing off, as though a thought had occurred to him, Kenny turned his head to look up at Craig before commenting, “Y’know, maybe that’s one of those reasons why the two of you click so well.” Poking the Noirette in the stomach, Kenny commented, “You need someone you can read easily. There aren’t every any real surprises when it comes to Tweek. He puts it all out there, and you… you really value that subconsciously.”

Blinking Craig glanced down at his own shoes. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Obviously, there were other reasons why he was the blond’s friend, but… Kenny had a point. Tweek didn’t hide things. He didn’t give cryptic answers when Craig asked him questions.  _ He doesn’t hide things like I do. _

_ Yeah, but I have reasons. _

The boy’s face twisted as those reasons crept into the forefront of his mind.

“Craig, why are you so scared?” As they turned onto the Noirette’s street, Kenny stopped and stared at the boy’s house. Craig saw it too, and he flinched, he knew he did. He wished he could have said he didn’t, but the moment he saw his dad’s car, when the man was supposed to be  _ at work, _ he felt his pulse rate begin to speed up.  _ No, I can’t deal with this, I don’t want to deal with this. _

Staring down the road, Kenny pulled a hard face then turned back to Craig. There was such a deep  _ understanding _ in his eyes that the taller boy wanted to run. Of all the things that scared Craig Tucker, and he tried to keep them as few as possible, someone knowing this dirty, shameful secret was one of those fears. As Kenny fixed him with that knowing look, however, the boy realized that he couldn’t escape this.

“I-” Craig began weakly, his usually strong voice faltering, cracking under the strain. “You-” Gritting his teeth, clenching his fists in an attempt to regain the wherewithal to speak, the Noirette tried to fight back against the inevitable. “You don’t have to rub it in,” he snapped, his tone unstable, irrationally frustrated. “I bet you already fucking know, McCormick, so-”

“I’m not rubbing it in,” Kenny soothed, any note of mischif or playfulness gone from his tone. Instead, his voice was sober, straightforward, and so  _ horribly understanding. _ Like he  _ got _ it at a level that he shouldn’t have.  _ Just like Tweek… _ No, Tweek’s family was different. They were horrible, but they were different than Craig’s family. 

_ And maybe Kenny’s parents are bad in their own way too. _

“I want to hear you say it, Craig,” Kenny told him, his expression holding the strength that Craig didn’t have.

Softly, Craig breathed, “They’re going to kill me.  _ He’s _ going to kill me.” Shaking his head, unable to describe the things that had happened over the years, not now and not to Kenny in the middle of the sidewalk, the Noirette helplessly said, “They hate… They hate this, they hate the idea of this, they hate the idea of me being- Christ  _ I _ hate the idea of me being a- a…”

Grabbing the Noirette’s wrists, Kenny stared into the boy’s eyes and firmly said, “They aren’t going to kill you, Tucker, because you’re stronger than them.” As he gripped Craig’s arms hard enough to leave marks, Kenny firmly continued, “I’ve seen you fight back against  _ everyone _ for something you believe in, this doesn’t have to be different.”

“But I don’t know what to believe,” Craig said desperately, shaking his head and clenching his teeth together hard enough that they ground together. Going to pull his chullo down over his forehead, Craig found himself tugging against the Sandy-blond’s hold ineffectually, unable or maybe just unwilling to free himself. “Everything is so  _ screwed up. _ I- What am I supposed to believe in?”

“Look at me, Craig,” Kenny said, his voice hardly reaching the young boy through the panic slowly filling him. “Do you feel your heart right now?” When Craig nodded minutely, Kenny’s mouth formed into a determined line. “That’s real. You can believe in that. Do you feel the ground under your feet? That’s real too. Neither of those are going to go away.”

“But what if he-” Craig began, only for Kenny to shake his head hard. 

“No Craig, do you feel my hands right now? I’m here.” Focusing on the other boy’s voice, Craig found himself nodding. Clenching his fists, the Noirette picked up on the way Kenny’s nails dug slightly into his skin, felt the way the boy’s various bandaids scraped against the fine hairs on the backs of his arms, and he struggled to bring himself down.

“What if I never see anyone ever again?” Craig asked, imagining his parents  _ sending him somewhere _ so they wouldn’t have to look at the disgrace that was their son. “What if I never see Tweek again.”

“Tweek isn’t important right now,” Kenny said, his words carrying that note of brutal honesty the Sandy-blond seemed to specialize in. “You are important. I know that you don’t want to lose him, but you  _ aren’t going to _ so focus on yourself. Because if you let yourself get wrapped up in other people and forget yourself, it will only hurt worse. That  _ will _ kill you, Craig. Maybe not today, but it will kill you all the same.”

“But…” Craig shook his head. Because when it came down to it, he just wanted to be friends with Tweek, and this whole thing was tied up with the boy. He couldn’t  _ not _ think about him. Pulling away from Kenny, or at least trying to, the taller boy softly mumbled, “If we could just not fight, or- or deal with this shit…”  _ I feel better when I’m around him. _

“Listen to me Craig,” Kenny said, his sky-blue eyes bright and intense. “Making Tweek feel better will  _ not _ solve your problems. You can’t rely on a friendship to fix everything. You can lean on your friends, the close ones should be there to help you, but in the end, you have to face what is trying to back you into a corner and fight it. In any way you can.”

“Tweek helps,” Craig said faintly.

“Right now, he isn’t helping,” Kenny said, his tone blunt and unmoving. Craig fought those words, pushed back mentally against them, but the boy before him just backed them up by continuing, “He  _ could _ help, but he  _ isn’t.” _

Shaking his head, Craig growled, “That’s not true.”

Kenny chuckled ruefully. “Maybe before it wasn’t, but right now, Tweek can’t help you. Even if you go to him and sit in his room and listen to him ramble till you both pass out, that isn’t help, Craig.” Holding Craig there like he could inject his own strength into the other boy through his wrists, the Sandy-blond insisted, “This isn’t the time to run, this when you face things Craig. You used to face things head on, what happened to that fucker, I want him back.”

“Are things going to get better with Tweek?” Craig asked, knowing that he was ignoring most of what Kenny was saying and wishing he knew how to adress it.

“Yes,” Kenny said with the confidence that Craig lacked. “It might take a bit, but I told you things like this took work, and right now, Tweek needs to pull some weight.” When Craig opened his mouth, the Sandy-blond cut across him with, “He will, I know Tweekers is figuring it out as we speak. And I’m not saying you can’t go talk to him after this is over, but sometimes Craig, you need to be the center of your own universe so the rest of your life doesn’t go spinning out of orbit.”

Cracking a smile, the boy added, “That’s how Space works, right.”

And through it all, Craig found himself smiling softly, glancing down at his feet as he did, unsure what to do with the little chuckle that worked its way out of his throat. “I- Uh… we might need to work on your Space facts a little, but you’ll get there.”

“You hear that world?” Kenny asked, finally letting go of Craig so he could spin around, pumping his fists in the air. “Craig Fucker said I’d get there!” Giving the Noirette one last meaningful smile, Kenny said, “Now, go home. You’re not going to die, I promise you. Whatever happens, you’ll be able to walk out of there, even if I have to come and stage a rescue mission with Tweeky as my trusty sidekick.”

Snorting at the mental image of Tweek and Kenny swooping in like superheros, Craig muttered, “I’ll do my best.”

“Good.” Dropping into a slight bow, the blond shot him fingerguns and said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a delicious school lunch with my name on it just  _ waiting _ for me to get back and devour it.” Then he skipped away, his carefree step causing Craig to shake his head and smile.

For all that Kenny had been and probably would be in the future, he was a good friend. Above anything, Craig valued that.

And when the blond boy inevitable looked back and shot Craig one last encouraging look, Craig glanced down at his own hands before pointing his own set of fingerguns at Kenny.

Turning, the Noirette faced his home, the inevitability of the conversation with his father, and steeled himself. He was terrified, he didn’t want this, but… Thinking of what Kenny had said, of Tweek telling him that it was okay to be broken sometimes, because he could also be an angel, Craig tried to find strength. He didn’t feel that strong, but maybe he could pretend long enough that he’d actually start to feel it for real.

So he walked, one foot in front of the other, towards his house. As he took the steps up to his door one at a time, the Noirette felt his heart hammer in his chest.  _ That’s real, _ Craig thought, clinging to that thought.  _ You’re real. _ And in the end, he’d go to Tweek’s house and maybe if he could get through this, he could figure out how to solve the problem at school.

The moment he opened the door, Craig felt the wave of cold hit him. It was clear what it came from,  _ who. _

“So you’re gay, huh?”

Thomas Tucker stood in the doorway to the kitchen, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Craig as the boy crept in through the door. Forcing himself not to cower, Craig drew himself to his full height, feeling very small in front of his Father.

“I’m not,” Craig said, his voice as strong as he could make it.

“Bullshit,” the man spat, his eyes dark voids. Poising for flight, ready to run if it came to blows like it had before, Craig studied his Dad. Thomas hadn’t been drinking, which was… something. But it wasn’t  _ enough. _ “I heard what your Principal said, Craig. And I’m just wondering where you fucked up so that  _ this _ is what you ended up as.”

“But I’m not gay,” Craig insisted, knowing he was putting his neck on the line by arguing with his Father at all.

“I  _ know _ you, I can  _ see _ that you’re a fucking  _ fag.” _ Thomas growled, taking a step forward. Flinching, Craig fought his own fear and lifted his chin, imagining Tweek’s face, recalling the way he’d smiled shakily after they’d left the counselor’s office, a look meant just for the Noirette. Then he thought about Kenny’s words, and took a moment to center himself.

“The kids at school are just making stuff up,” Craig said flatly, resisting the urge to pull on his hat.

“You’d like me to think that, wouldn’t you?” Thomas asked, his expression dark, unmoving. “But you can’t hide from me Craig. I know what you are, your mother and I both do.” Thick brows furrowing together, the tall man ground out, “Do you have any idea how disgusting that lifestyle is? You’d never be a  _ man, _ all you’d ever be is a weak, useless,  _ faggot. _ I don’t have room in my household for someone like that Craig, I don’t  _ want _ someone like that in my house.”

He wasn’t hitting the boy, he wasn’t even laying a finger on him, but his words filled Craig with an unshakable sense of dread. Fighting it as valiently as he could, the young boy said, “I know that sir.”

“I don’t think you do,” Thomas dismissed, the pure disgust and loathing on his face plain. “Do you have any idea how it feels to get stopped by people who want to talk to you about how your only son is gay?” Shaking his head, the man snapped, “I don’t care if you  _ think _ you’re a fag Craig, because you aren’t going to be one in this house. You’re going to figure yourself out quick, because just because the rest of the world tells you it’s okay, that doesn’t mean it is.”

“I know that,” Craig said, his voice getting smaller the longer this dragged out. Every word that his Dad spoke drove another nail into the proverbial coffin.  _ I know it’s wrong, I know it’s bad, but I’m not so please understand that I don’t want this either. _ “It’s just… everyone keeps saying we’re gay.”

“Then stop fucking listening to the rest of the town, because no son of mine will ever be gay!” Thomas snapped, advancing again. Startling backwards, Craig bowed his head, attempting and failing to keep a hold of his own brain. “I don’t care what you have to do, but you are going to figure your  _ shit _ out and you’re going to stop acting like this. There are ways to  _ fix _ this, and I will try every single one, because  _ this?” _ He gestured at Craig. “I don’t want this under my roof. You, dating another boy.”

Craig could only nod, his stomach churning as the fear continued to spark through him.

After a long moment, Thomas spoke. “Get out of my sight,” he said, his tone dark, frightening.

Without another word, the Noirette hurried towards the stairs, his heart hammering and his mind in shambles.  _ I need to do something, _ he thought, desperately.  _ I need to fix this. I need to make us… Not gay. _

And then a thought struck him, and like a light through the dark, Craig finally saw a way out.

_ He’s right, I do have to fix this. _

And maybe just maybe, he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cori, Angel, I hope I did this justice, it's all thanks to you two. I know it's not perfect, but Kenny said what needed to be said, even if Craig didn't hear what needed to be heard.
> 
> I hope the rest of you enjoyed the chapter too. There will be oodles of Creek in the next chapter, as a sneak preview, the title of it is "You Are Capable." I'm sure that gives you some idea of what it'll be about ;)
> 
> As for me, I'm off and awayyyyy~ Love y'all!


	24. You Are Capable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
> 
> Enjoy.

_ “You’re going to either have to accept that you’re gay, or stop hanging out around Craig.” _

As the words drifted through Tweek’s head for the millionth time since he’d gotten home, he screeched softly and dropped his legos. Scrubbing his fingers through his tangled hair, the blond shivered and stared at his feet, which were dangling above the floor miles away from the ground. The world was falling away from him now, leaving him stranded. He couldn’t do this, it was too much!

_ God, why do I have to be so useless!? Craig needed my help and I just let him walk away!! Everyone in this school thinks we’re gay and I can’t do anything about it! Christ, I can’t even stop fighting with Craig for long enough to actually figure anything out! Why is this happening??! _

Shivering, the blond brought his knees up to his chin so he could stick his head between them and stare at the wood of his seat. “I sh-shouldn’t even be thinking of Craig right now,” Tweek mumbled, clenching his hands in his hair before unsteadily lifting his head.  _ The only way to make this stop is for us to stop hanging out around each other. _

The thought was at the same time inevitable and too horrible to contemplate. In the end, all the boy could do was yell in frustration and slam his head into his desk. As the legos littering it rattled and his coffee sloshed up and over his work surface, Tweek let the tremors work their way out of his bones. Ultimately, he stopped shaking so horribly and was able to lift his tired face up so he could stare at his half finished house. Blinking blearily, still twitching minutely as he did, Tweek nibbled on his bottom lip and asked himself for the hundredth time that day why he was so helpless to the situation.

If he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t expected having friends to be so much trouble.  _ It’s not all of them, it’s Craig. _ Well, that was true enough. Clyde and Token weren’t this hard to be friends with. For whatever reason, Tweek had no problems with hanging out around those two. Sure, he’d argued with them before, but it never escalated.

Maybe Kyle had inadvertently had a point. Without Craig in the picture, Tweek’s life would have been slightly more simple. People wouldn’t call him gay, not that the label itself caused him much worry at this point, and he wouldn’t spend quite so many hours, sitting here, desperately trying to think his way out of problems he wasn’t equipped to deal with on his own.

But those were just immediate concerns.  _ I’d miss Craig if he weren’t here, _ Tweek thought sadly, shivering and grabbing for more legos blindly. Snapping them together in a haphazard mess, the Blond nibbled on his lip. Someone somewhere probably knew why his relationship with Craig was complicated. Heck, maybe if he thought about it long enough, he’d be able to answer that question himself.

They’d always acted different. Closer. Their time was spent together, their lives felt woven into one at certain points. When something happened, Tweek told Craig. He  _ wanted _ to be around the Noirette. And Craig seemed to gravitate towards Tweek in a similar way, dragging him along to different places whenever possible, telling the other about things in his calm, steady voice. Even now, when they were fighting and upset and pushed apart by the world and each other, the two of them found companionship much easier than further conflict.

All of that had to count for something, right?

Twitching, Tweek stared down at the weird latic of legos that sat in his hands before blowing out a breath. Setting it down on his table, the boy slipped out of his seat and began walking towards the opposite wall. Once he’d reached it, Tweek turned and walked the other way. As he paced back and forth, the small boy wondered if this was going to be his new reality, or if there was a way out.

_ You could always listen to Kyle and just stay away from him. _ That voice in the back of his head was loud, and sounded cold and indifferent. Shaking his head vigorously, blond strands waving wildly with the movements, Tweek growled under his breath.  _ I’m not giving up on Craig! He wouldn’t give up on me if this was happening to me. _ But it  _ was _ happening to the Blond. It was happening to both of them. This wasn’t some isolated incident. There was no common enemy they could easily turn against and defeat.

There was just fear. And the overwhelming pressure from everyone around them to just  _ be gay. _

Twisting around once more, almost stumbling over a robot that was lying on his floor, Tweek fought the urge to hit his head against something. Surely there was a way out of this. Somewhere,  _ somehow, _ there was an answer that would make sense to him and Craig.

If it was there, then it was just out of the Blond’s reach.

Clenching his hands into fists, Tweek suddenly burst out, “Ngh- W-why can’t I help Craig? Why c-can’t I even help myself??” Even before the words had fully escaped him, the short boy was flinging his head around, almost like he was hoping that some figment of his imagination would appear and give him the answers he craved.

There was nothing however, no helpful apparition of Craig appeared to speak to him. No monsters crawled out from the corners of his rooms to answer his call. Shivering, Tweek wrapped his arms around himself and sunk his fingernails into his skin. He felt unbelievably alone, and for a moment, even the voices that always rocketed around his skull fell silent.

In the silence, Tweek heard a single voice in his head mutter,  _ Just leave Craig alone. Things were simpler without him. If you don’t talk to him, then everything will go back to normal. Remember normal? Remember only having to occasionally deal with Kenny and no one else? Wouldn’t that be so much nicer. _

“No,” Tweek mumbled aloud, his lips numb and his mouth uncooperative. “It w-wasn’t better.”

_ But maybe you could try. _

Chest heaving, the Blond spun sharply back to his desk and walked back to it with stilted movements. Clambering back into the chair, the boy seized his mug of coffee and shakily took a sip. Distantly, he could hear voices of people below him, but he ignored them in favor of picking up several legos. Shivering, his eyes dulling as hopeless thoughts crowded his mind, Tweek clenched his small fingers around the sharp bricks, frustrated when they wouldn’t properly snap together.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Tweek just picked up his coffee and took another few sips, wilfully oblivious to what was happening around him.

Grabbing valiantly for the pieces once more, the Blond tried and failed to swallow down the cry of knotted miserable frustration that escaped him. Tossing the useless bricks to the table, Tweek grabbed for his mug and was just about to swallow down a large mouthful of coffee when the door opened behind him.

“Hey dude.”

_ Oh Jesus, NO! _

Spitting out his coffee, Tweek let out an involuntary squeak before leaping backwards, stumbling off of his chair and swinging his head around to get Craig in view. As though the Noirette would sneak up on him if he didn’t.

“Augh~ No, no!”  _ Of course he’d show up now, of course he’d wait until after I thought I’d made a decision to show up and ruin it. _ Blaming it on Craig however just made it feel worse. Backing up, Tweek pushed out a frantic, “What are you doing here?”

“Tweek,” Craig began, putting out his hands and taking a few steps towards the Blond. “Calm down.”

The Noirette’s face was pulled into an intense expression, and it gave Tweek a moment of pause. Craig’s eyes looked haunted, panicked and desperate, yet determined. Something terrible had happened, Tweek didn’t need to be a genius to figure that out.  _ And it’s something worse than what’s already happened, which means it’s really _ really _ bad. _

Feeling the fear of incomprehension rise in his throat, because what could have possibly made things worse than they already were, the Blond began to shake in earnest, his fingers tightening into fists by his sides as he did.

Craig just took a breath and said in a rushed, low tone, “We have to put a stop to this.”

If Tweek hadn’t been moving towards panic at that moment, he might have screamed in frustration. Because of  _ course _ they had to make things stop but  _ what had they been doing this past week IF NOT TRYING TO PUT A FUCKING STOP TO IT?! _

“Grr- Th-THERE’S NO STOPING IT!” Tweek shrieked, yanking on his hair before releasing it just as fast. The fact that Craig was coming in here and acting like this was so dumb. As if they hadn’t been trying so hard to fix things. And what had happened to them fighting? Craig was acting like everything was okay, but clearly everything wasn’t because the Noirette was here in the first place demanding that they do something about a problem that they’d both had for ages now!  _ I’m overreacting, I need to calm down. _

But the only thing he found when he looked past the panic was terror. Because what if there was no solution. What if the only way for it to end was for them to never speak again? Twitching and shaking, the boy let the fear begin to creep into his voice as he exclaimed, “The whole  _ world _ wants me to be something I’m not!!”  _ Christ, that’s not the kind of thing you can just stop!! _

Stepping forward, Craig stretched his hands out and earnestly returned, “Me too, dude!” Clenching his fingers in the hem of his shirt, Tweek spent a second just staring at Craig, fighting the emotions threatening to overwhelm him back down into his stomach where they belonged. Honing in on Craig’s presence, like it was a grounding rod, Tweek managed to take a breath.

Accepting this as the Blond’s sign to continue, the Noirette let one of his hands fall as he said, “But there’s something we can do.”

Confident. It was the only word to describe Craig’s aura. He believed what he was saying. For the first time in what felt like forever, Tweek knew that Craig wasn’t trying to lie to himself or to the Blond. This time, the boy meant what he was saying, and he wasn’t backing down.

“What?” Tweek demanded, needing to know what this answer was even though it frightened him.

It was Craig’s turn to take a breath. Stepping a little closer to Tweek, hands held out placatingly before him, the Noirette calmly said, “We have to come out and say we’re gay.”

A moment of silence stretched between them as Tweek’s brain tried to catch up, then-

“WHAT!?” Actually jumping into the air in surprise, the Blond’s hands were instantly fisted in his hair and his eyes were bugging out of his skull.  _ Craig has lost his mind!! I knew there was something wrong with him!! There’s no way, I can’t believe he’d suggest something like this! Does he want us to die or something?! _

“RRR- ARE YOU INSANE!??” Tweek demanded, genuine, blind panic beginning to overtake him. Twitching and jerking violently, the Blond yanked at his hair and clothes as he tried to find anything to calm him down. Craig started coming at him and Tweek’s heart rate only increased as yet more fear poured into him.  _ No, I can’t do this! He can’t do this!! _

“Wait!” Craig tried to say, only for Tweek to scamper away from him, dodging the Noirette’s hands, causing them to switch places.

“But- But the way everyone-!” Tweek began.

“WAIT!” Craig yelled over him. Shielding himself from the force of Craig’s voice with his hands, Tweek shivered as the Noirette explained, in a loud rendition of his usual nasally voice, “Because if we’re  _ gay, _ we can break up.” There was something fernetic in the boy’s eyes as he continued, “And if we break up, no more pictures!”  _ Oh god, he’s thought this through. _ Yet somehow, the words froze Tweek in place.

The glorious idea of this all being over was too sweet to discard. Eyes widening, the Blond stared at Craig, praying that the boy knew what he was talking about. For the first time in a week, there was an idea that could work. If only because Craig believed it could.

His belief, however rabid, was infecting Tweek.

The shorter boy’s hands fell back to his sides, the fight beginning to leave his body.

Once he seemed sure that Tweek was listening, Craig continued, in a slightly softer voice, “We just have to stage a fake breakup in front of the Asian girls.”

Instantly, Tweek was on high alert once more. “L-like acting!?” Shivering hard, Tweek stared at the ceiling in horror.  _ I can’t even act normally on a good day, how am I supposed to be something I’m not? That’s impossible! _ Shaking his head viciously, the Blond insisted, “N-no man, that is  _ way _ too much pressure!” Words starting to trip out of his mouth, Tweek wildly continued, “I-I'll fail-”

“You can do it, Tweek!” Suddenly, Craig was in his face, wide, navy blue eyes wide and powerful as ever. Caught in their nebula, Tweek could do nothing to resist as Craig seized his collar and drew him closer. It was the closest they’d been in what felt like too long, and the constant shaking of Tweek’s limbs suddenly ceased as his body went limp. His toes were hardly supporting any of his weight as he hung there, simply staring at Craig helplessly.

      Pressing their foreheads together, till blond and raven strands of hair were tangling, Craig lowered his voice and murmured in a voice that could have made Tweek’s heart stop, “You’re capable of more than you think.”

Unable to properly react to that, Tweek weakly struggled and insisted, “Augh- I’m a t-terrible actor.” It was one last ditch attempt to avoid this situation, even though he wasn’t sure he wanted to in the first place.  _ If it works, everything will get better. _

_ Christ, I’m gonna ruin our chance to go back to normal. _

But maybe that chance was one worth taking regardless.

Giving Tweek slightly more space without letting go of the boy’s shirt, Craig steadily said, “You just follow my lead.” He made it sound so simple. “And try and make it believable, okay?”

“Oh -gah!- Okay.” Tweek pushed out, shaking as he spoke. “Oh god….”

Finally letting him go, Craig took a slight step back, his eyes softening as he did so. “I’ve thought this through dude. I promise I’m not throwing you into something I’m not willing to do too.”

“I know,” Tweek mumbled, huddling up where he stood, pulling his arms close to his chest and staring at his shoes. Before Craig could speak again, start talking about how this was the only way, about how they  _ needed _ to do this, Tweek blurted out, “Why?”

“Why what?” Craig asked, tilting his head in confusion. “Why am I willing to do it too? Because it’s my fucking life too, Tweek. I’m not going to try and shove it onto you. That’s dumb, and-”

“No, w-why are you willing to say you’re gay?” Tweek asked, shivering. “B-because you’re not, neither of us are!”

Stilling, Craig blinked at Tweek, as though he was only just now thinking that very thing through. Almost at once, the taller boy seemed to get lost in thought, his eyes growing distant and almost despondent as he pondered Tweek’s question.  _ Why do I always- _ No, internal monologues wouldn’t help. This wasn’t him, Tweek hadn’t made Craig upset, something else had. So… Maybe Tweek could do something to make the other boy feel better.

Taking advantage of their closeness, Tweek reached out one of his feet and nudged Craig’s shoe with it, drawing the boy out of his deep thoughts. Focusing his gaze on the Blond, the other boy cleared his throat and finally dropped his eyes to the floor and their connected feet. “I- I’m not, but…”

“Craig, w-what happened?” Tweek asked, nibbling his lip as he wondered if he was going too far.  _ I’m not, if he doesn’t want to say, then he doesn’t have to answer. _

“The people- Person, who I really didn’t want-” Craig stopped again, as though he was having trouble even forming the right words, let alone getting them out at all. Puffing out a breath, the Noirette reached out and caught one of Tweek’s hands. Gripping it, like he was grounding himself by focusing on Tweek’s hand, Craig softly said, “My dad thinks I’m gay.”

Letting those words hang there for a moment, the Noirette finally continued, “And… I really didn’t want him to. But now that he thinks I’m a- That I’m gay, nothing is going to convince him otherwise. No matter what we do. No matter what  _ I _ do.” Craig’s tone held dread, fear of the future that Tweek couldn’t even begin to lessen. Behind those simple sentences, there was so much pain and meaning that the Blond found he could only nod and clench his fingers around Craig’s.

“Just c-cause your dad believes you’re gay doesn’t mean you h-have to lie and tell the school you are,” Tweek mumbled, struggling to find the right words to coax Craig into talking more.  _ If it makes him feel better, then it's worth it. _

“I mean, yeah, but…” Staring up into Tweek’s eyes, Craig firmly said, “I don’t want to lose you as a friend. If we do this, then at least I’ll have you around.” 

Tweek let out a breath.

“I want you around too, man,” the Blond said, his eyes full of too many emotions to name. “Even if being friends isn’t always easy, I- I think it’s w-worth it.” When Craig just stared down at him silently, Tweek took an intrepid breath before saying, “I’m s-sorry your dad is like that, Craig. If you ever need to talk -rrr- I’m h-here, man. I’m not good at answers, b-but I’m still here.”

“Thank you,” Craig breathed. “I- I’ll try and remember that.”

As Craig finally dropped his hand, Tweek took a shuffling step back before tipping his chin up and fixing the Noirette with a brave look. “Tomorrow, it’ll be over.”

“It will,” Craig responded, relief evident on his otherwise expressionless face. “It’ll finally be over.”

In Tweek’s opinion, the next day couldn’t possibly come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a while my dudes. Honestly, I've lost a lot of desire to write at all in these past months. Life is a bitch, people can be shitty, and sometimes it's hard to just write and not _care_ what people think. But I've made a commitment to myself that if nothing else, I'm going to write this story for me.
> 
> I need to do something for me, instead of spending my life obsessing over others.
> 
> Or... something like that. 
> 
> Until next time, peace out.


	25. A Mistake in the Making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Token_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like... I realize this chapter isn't as good as it could be, but you want to know something wild? It made me happy to write it. I have to go to work tomorrow in the morning, and it's past midnight right now, but I don't care. Writing this genuinely made me happy, and even if it's not that good, well...
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

 

_ [Wendy, you know I’d never try to tell you what to do, but he’s my friend.] _

It was amazing how stubborn someone so smart could be.

**_[I think you should just learn to accept him, Token.]_ **

Generally, you expect intelligent people to always behave intelligently.

**_[This is who he is.]_ **

Common sense could be debated, and everyone had a slip up now and then, but it was frustrating.

**_[This is how they BOTH are.]_ **

Because even smart people could be dumb.

**_[I thought you were on my side on this one.]_ **

Token sighed.

_ [I am on your side Wendy. Of course South Park should be more inclusive and understanding, and I appreciate the efforts you’re making. But you’ve gone too far on this one.] _ Pressing send, the rich boy settled back on the stool behind the mini bar in his basement and sighed softly. Maybe he was being harsh. After all, why would Wendy Testaburger of all people go out of her way to harm someone that wasn’t Eric Cartman?

His phone buzzed again.

**_[You’re acting like this is my fault.]_ **

_ Maybe I am, Wendy. _

Rubbing his forehead with a hand, Token let out a sigh. At a certain level, maybe he was trying to look for a root cause of the problem. Maybe he was just complaining, something he tried not to do unless it was productive, which it very rarely was. But…  _ [You did put on that presentation.] _

The reply was almost instant.

**_[That presentation did what I wanted it to do. It brought LGBTQ+ people into a new light that kids our age can understand.]_ ** She was still typing, and Token elected to wait it out.  **_[This town needs to learn how to accept people are different.] [They fired the one gay man we had in our school.]_ **

_ [Mr. Garrison was extremely problematic, Wendy. Which I’ve listened to you complain about several times.] _

**_[That’s not what we’re talking about Token!]_ **

Setting his phone down, the boy slipped off the stool so he could grab a drink out of the fridge. Popping the tab, Token stared at the wall, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He really did sympathise with Wendy, she was trying to do good in the world and it was hard in a town like South Park. Probably, she hadn’t meant anything by the presentation, she hadn’t meant to get Tweek and Craig into the situation they were in. Honestly, it was the boys themselves that had made the situation so messy.

Yet here Token was, arguing with Wendy of all people like that would fix the situation.

Glancing up at his phone, which was buzzing every few seconds as Wendy fired yet more texts in his direction, Token took several sips of his drink and waited for the device to go silent before reaching for it. Carrying it over to his favorite spot, the plush recliner he’d spent many an hour reading and playing video games in, Token settled down and skimmed through Wendy’s messages.  _ Alright, be diplomatic, it isn’t her fault. _

Sometimes, situations didn’t have antagonists. Sometimes interpersonal conflicts could be messy all on their own, without ever having a  _ bad guy _ at all.

_ [You know I’m glad that people’s minds are changing, but singling out Craig and Tweek wasn’t the right thing to do.] _

There was a moment of silence.

**_[I can’t stop what’s happening Token.] [I know things have gotten out of hand.] [But maybe this is what it’ll take for those two to be open about their relationship.]_ **

**_[Knowing that people will accept them.]_ **

Yes, because humiliating people always did wonders.

Glancing over at the pieces of artwork he had spread out over the coffee table like blurry photos over the corkboard of a conspiracy theorist, Token frowned. Some of them were innocent, but some of them felt unnervingly invasive, and just because he’d had suspicions about the way Tweek and Craig interacted didn’t mean he thought it was right to plaster those interpretations everywhere. Wendy showing off this art felt more like a public shaming than acceptance.

Snapping a picture of his table, Token sent it to Wendy.

_ [All good intentions aside, this looks like you doing something for the wrong reasons.] _

**_[What are you accusing me of??]_ **

_ [I don’t know.] _

Tossing his phone aside, the rich boy stared tiredly at the prints for another few seconds before shuffling them together into a pile and flipping that stack over.  _ We’re ten, Wendy. They don’t deserve to have their personal life plastered around the town like it’s something to stare at. _

He’d seen the haunted look in Craig’s eyes, the desperation to change things. And Tweek hadn’t been any better. Both of them were falling apart, and Token didn’t know if it was even his place to step in. Sure, they were his friends, but what do you say when faced with a situation like this? Unlike Wendy, he didn’t want to shoehorn the two of them into anything. They’d been  _ fine, _ figuring things out for themselves, they didn’t need an entire town shoving their opinions in where they didn’t belong.

It worried him, but he was stuck on the outside, unable to figure out how to insert himself and help, rather than blunder in and make things worse.

_ Hah, maybe I should take a leaf out of Kenny’s book. _ Snorting aloud at that thought, Token listened distantly as his phone buzzed again, ultimately ignoring it. He’d talk to Wendy at school the next day, probably apologize for being short with her, and it would be over. The girl was having a hard enough time dealing with her latest attempt at a relationship with Stan Marsh, she didn’t need something like this on her conscious as well.

_ No matter how much I wish she actually regretted it. _ But… it wasn’t his place to pass judgement. She’d done what she’d done, he couldn’t change it.

_ And I can’t fix what’s happened to Tweek and Craig just by thinking about it. _ So much for a calm school year. Stretching, the rich boy leaned back in the recliner and thought over all the wild things that had already happened. To be fair, it wasn’t much, but… his thoughts wandered to Damien as he sat there.  _ Son of Satan? It wouldn’t surprise me, this is South Park after all. _ His obsession with Pip was a little strange, but then, the British child was the only one who really showed Damien any consistent kindness.

_ I should talk to them more, find out who they are, why they’re here. _ It would be something to do.

Or maybe he’d finally finish the book on Bell Hooks that he’d been working through...

Above him, there was the sound of someone knocking on the door.  _ Back door, so… it’s one of a few people. _ Slipping off of his chair, Token checked the clock on the wall and wondered who was here at eight at night. Admittedly, not that late, but definitely not a time for visitors. Which made him wonder all the more.  _ It’s either Clyde, Tweek- _

Or it was the tall, raven-haired boy peeking through the window of the back door, looking sad, lost, and exhausted.

_ His parents are upset about the whole ‘gay rumor’, aren’t they? _ It was obvious, there was only one thing that could really make Craig look like that, and it wasn’t Tweek, despite popular suspicions otherwise.

Speaking of the Noirette’s other friends, Token noted as he slowly opened his back door that the boy was alone. There was a backpack slung over one arm, and the dark circles under dark blue eyes revealed all Token really needed to know.

“You never called,” Token commented, looking Craig up and down. His shoes were untied, which couldn’t have made climbing out of his window any safer.

“I texted, you just didn’t answer,” Craig mumbled, his flat voice tired.  _ Ah, so that’s what that message was. _

“You don’t actually need to call,” the rich boy responded, his voice slightly distant. “I’ve told you that before. I was…” His eyes drifted back to Craig’s face. “Joking.” Stepping back, Token decisively said, “Well, come in.”

“Thanks,” Craig muttered, relief evident in his voice.

Patting his friend’s back comfortingly as the Noirette passed, Token eyed the night for a moment, lost in thought. After a certain point, the darkness started to peer back, and a few seconds later those eyes became his three German Shepherds. As they circled him, pushing up against his legs, Token hummed low in his throat.

_ What happened this time Craig? _

Scratching one of his dogs behind his ears, Token focused on the creatures and sighed. “Life is never going to be fair. I guess we just have to learn how to deal with it.”

This young? 

Token could assume that the problems only got bigger from here. Someday, he’d wish things were this simple.

Ushering his dogs back out into the night, the boy slipped back inside and let the door close behind him.

As he descended the stairs, Token found Craig already making himself at home on the couch, right where he usually sat. The Noirette had his long legs drawn up to his chest and a soda clutched in one of his hands, not that he was drinking it. Hell, the thing wasn’t even open, he was just sitting there, silent as ever. Letting this continue, Token walked over to the bar and grabbed his book off of the counter. With it under his arm, the rich boy finally returned to his recliner, content to open it and begin reading once more.

Craig would talk when he was ready. If you actually listened, which most people didn’t have enough patience to do, the Noirette was more than happy to speak.  _ What a shame most people treat you like you have nothing to say. _

At the moment, Craig was just staring at his sleeping shirt, one that he’d pulled out of his backpack. It was one of the many he owned that had a guinea pig on the front. Frowning, Token softly hummed. “You miss him.”

“I-” Craig startled slightly, before shaking himself and muttering, “Yeah, I miss Stripe. He was a good pet, and… And I really loved him, y’know?”

“Everyone knew, Craig. It was obvious,” Token said softly. Eyes drifting to one of the posters on the wall, a promotional piece for some African-American film his parents enjoyed, Token continued, “He was a part of your life, and now he’s gone.” Another moment of silence. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have a place in your heart.”

“I really miss him,” Craig repeated, his words slightly shaky. “I know that you and Clyde and Tweek are my friends, but Stripe was always there, you know? And my parents got him for me, but he was  _ my _ pet. I dunno, that made him special.” Shifting the cushions at his back, Craig insisted, “You would miss your dogs.”

“I would,” Token agreed, his gaze falling to the carpeted floor. “No one ever said you weren’t allowed to miss Stripe, Craig.”

“I haven’t had the fucking  _ time _ to miss him, Token,” Craig muttered, his tone suddenly darkening. “Everything has been about Tweek and me, the whole school is obsessed, and- And everything is so screwed up and all I want to do is have time to- To miss my pet. My  _ friend. _ But not even my parents give a shit.”

“They think you’re gay,” Token observed, his eyes fixing on Craig’s stormy face.

“I’m not,” Craig huffed mutinously under his breath. “But they don’t care.”

“They want what’s best for you.”

Turning a fierce glare on Token, Craig gritted his teeth and spat. “Like that changes anything.”

“I know,” Token muttered, his eyes drifting back to his book, though he wasn’t taking in a word of it. Parents were always a tricky subject, and Token wasn’t about to pretend that the Tucker family was functional, but… Sometimes it took patience on all sides. Patience and a whole lot of time.

Not that he was going to say that out loud. It wasn’t what Craig needed to hear right now.

“I’ve given up, you know,” Craig said, and Token caught his expression neutralizing out of the corner of his eye. “I dunno, maybe I  _ am _ gay, I can’t tell anymore. What does it even mean? Why do people give a shit. I don’t want to do that kind of thing with Tweek, or  _ anyone _ so why do I have to think about it at all. It’s so stupid.”

“But you’ve given up?” Token prompted, finally finishing the paragraph and flipping the page. He could understand Craig’s frustration, they were just kids, something as complicated as sexuality wasn’t something they were supposed to have to care about in fifth grade, and yet people like Clyde and Bebe, or Wendy and Stan were already dating, and everyone was trying their best to grow up as fast as possible. So maybe they had to think about it, because if not now, then when?

“I don’t care if the school thinks I’m gay,” Craig told Token at last, the words causing the rich boy to raise an eyebrow. “They can think what they want.”  _ But you don’t want them to… So you’re doing this because of some other reason.  _ Tweek? Well, that was probably part of it, but Token had a feeling Craig was doing this for himself as well. He didn't  _ want _ to care, so he was making an effort not to. If this helped Craig take control of his life, Token certainly wasn’t going to dissuade him from it.

Still…

“They will keep thinking you’re gay, though,” Token reminded the Noirette. “Even if you don’t care, it’ll color their perception of you. Are you sure you’re willing to put up with that.”

Craig, surprisingly, snorted. It was a derisive sound, but it still had a sense of humor behind it. “Like I’ve ever cared what they think about me.”

“Fair point,” Token agreed, smiling slightly.

“And… I’ve got a plan that’ll get everyone to leave me alone. And Tweek. They won’t care about the two of us anymore, so I won’t have to deal with what they think.”  _ Oh? _ Despite the determination in Craig’s voice, Token felt a creeping sensation of doubt fill him.

“Plan?” Token asked, his tone giving away nothing.

“Yeah, well, I figure…” Craig shifted. “Look, if everyone thinks we’re gay, then we might as well make a big show of admitting it.” As Token lowered his book to stare skeptically at the Noirette, the boy rushed to finish, “But then we break up publicly, you know? So then people leave us alone.” The way he said it, you could almost tell he hadn’t thought it through at all.

Token was tempted to ask Craig to repeat himself, but he had the feeling that hearing it again wasn’t going to change what his friend had said. “And you say you’ve worked this out with Tweek?” the rich boy asked instead, his skepticism leaking into his voice.

“Well, yeah,” Craig said, as if that should have been obvious. “He’s fine with it.”

“Craig… Have you considered that this isn’t a good idea.” Well, that had been blunt, but this kind of thing was probably handled best in a direct manner.

Unfortunately, Craig just stared at him. “No, it’s not a bad idea,” he defended, setting down his soda on the arm of the sofa. “We’re just going to stand in front of the Asian girls and make a big show of how we aren’t together anymore.”

Massaging his temple with a finger, Token muttered, “You do realize this is going to make it worse, right?”

“I- What? No it isn’t!” Craig insisted, his eyes widening. “How could it make things worse, things are already shit.” Already on his feet, the Noirette began pacing around. “Everyone thinks I’m gay, my parents think I’m gay, Clyde thinks I’m gay- He knows me! And Tweek-” The boy stopped. “God, where do I even begin with him.”

_ At the beginning? _

“Craig-”

“I just want to be friends with him,” the Noirette muttered, his eyes falling to the floor. “I don’t want- This! I don’t want this. There’s so much shit Token, and I’m tired of it. I never asked for the Asian girls to draw art of us, I never asked for the Principal to single us out. I didn’t want any of it. I just wanted to be friends with Tweek, but- But I was acting too clingy.” He began pacing again. “Or maybe Tweek was acting too clingy? I don’t know. Sometimes I think I’ve forgotten how to be my own person, but maybe that’s just what people are telling me. I don’t  _ know.” _

“And how is staging a fake breakup going to help any of that?” Token asked, snapping his book shut pointedly. “Please, think about this logically-”

“I’m done thinking logically!” Craig burst, his voice rising in volume.

“You haven’t thought about this logically  _ once!” _ Drawing in a deep breath, Token composed himself. “Craig, eventually, people will forget about this. You have no idea what’s going to happen if you go through with this plan.”

“I know that things will change, I  _ need _ things to change.” As the energy left Craig in a whoosh, the boy’s shoulders slumped and he stared at Token with the singular desperation of someone who’d given up on everything else. “I need  _ normal, _ Token, because… Because everything else is crap right now.”

“What if this is the thing that makes things worse.” Though Token phrased it as a question, it sounded like a definite, even to his own ears.

“As long as Tweek-”

“No, Craig,” Token interrupted, shaking his head. “Take Tweek out of it. I’m telling you that this is going to make things worse for you. If things are so bad, then why are you risking it getting worse?”

The Noirette drew in a breath. “I’m sick of just letting things happen to me. I’m doing something about it.”

_ This is going to go badly, he’s going to make things worse.  _ Token couldn’t prove it, but he knew how South Park worked, ideas like this didn’t go well, but… 

_ Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better. _

“Alright.” Backing down, Token grabbed for his book and stared down at the cover, silently wondering if he was making the right decision.

Every choice had consequences. 

Craig was probably about to find that out, he and Tweek both.

There was the sound of the couch grunting under Craig’s weight as the Noirette settled back down. “I’m tired,” he stated, even though he sounded more awake and aware than he had all night. “I’m going to go to sleep.”

Well, that was the end of the conversation, apparently.

“You do that.”

After a moment, Token glanced up from his book to find Craig curled up with his back to his friend, his guinea pig shirt on and his arms curled around a pillow. Quietly, the rich boy got to his feet and walked over to the light switch.

The lights dimmed on the room, before going out completely.

Tomorrow… Well, Token could only hope that his predictions were wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahha, I can't wait for the next chapter. If my whole mouth stops hurting for a moment, maybe I'll be able to make the next chapter even better.


	26. Who's Michael?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what fucking chapter it is.
> 
> Thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments. I'm currently having the time of my life and I didn't know that was possible with this story anymore. So yeah, that's amazing.
> 
> Without further adieu, however-
> 
> Enjoy.

“Jesus man, I- I don’t knowifthisis a good idea,” Tweek mumbled in a rush, peaking around the corner and twitching when Craig yanked him back behind the door. Instantly letting go of the Blond when he let out a surprised squeak, Craig huffed and stared in the reflection of the entrance hall in the distorted glass of the door across from them.

“You already agreed to it,” Craig stated flatly, staring down at Tweek, his expression unchanging when the boy began literally shaking where he stood. Eyes flicking back to the reflection, the taller boy’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched the Asian girls settle down for lunch. Almost all of them had various drawing implements out, no doubt set on creating more art of himself and Tweek. It made his insides curl, but he pressed the feeling down.

Soon, it would be over.

“Yeah, but -ghn- I dunno man,” Tweek hissed. The locker door he was pressed up against was rattling with his shivering, and Craig was torn between the vicious desire to snap at Tweek to stop and the soft, worried voice in the back of his head that wanted to ruffle the Blond’s hair and tell him it would be okay.

“I told you, you just have to follow my cues, it’s not that hard.” Pulling his eyes away from the door’s reflection, Craig fixed his attention on Tweek, who whimpered softly. “Look, do you want this to be over or not?” he finally asked, causing the shorter boy to jump in surprise, as though he hadn’t expected Craig to be so short with him.

Stiffening his spine, Tweek growled right back, “Of c-course I do, asshole!”

“Then fucking  _ act _ like it,” Craig requested, in a low voice. 

Bristling, Tweek stuck a trembling finger in Craig’s face. “Rrr- At least I’m not r-running and hiding from it like you’ve been all week!” The moment the words left his mouth, the wind went out of Tweek’s sails.  _ He’s not wrong though, _ Craig thought to himself as his friend retreated.  _ It took you this long to stand up and do something for yourself. _

Putting his head down, Craig puffed out a breath before finding a grudging smile twitch at the corners of his eyes.  _ If things weren’t so tense, this would be playful.  _  “Sorry,” Tweek mumbled, twitching slightly. “I didn’t mean-”

The Noirette pulled his head up sharply. “Are you doing this because of me?” Before him, Tweek shivered, and his wild hair shook with him. “Or are you doing this because you want to?”

“Both,” Tweek answered, not missing a beat.

_ Well, at least one of us is honest. _ “We need to do things for ourselves,” Craig struggled to explain, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “Like we used to. Otherwise we’ll be miserable dude.” As he echoed Kenny’s words, the tall boy found himself clenching his fists, remembering the intensity of their friend’s words. Kenny, for all his faults, had probably been right about that one, but it was hard to follow the Sandy-blond’s advice at a time like this.

“Kenny told you that,” Tweek said, his words surprisingly clear.

“He says a lot,” Craig admitted, looking back down the hall they’d come from, a small piece of him wondering if it was too late to turn back. “I used to hate him for it, now… not so much.” Snorting, the Noirette rubbed the back of his neck. “I bet he’d tell us we were being stupid.”

Tweek let out a soft sound, it might have been a squeak, but Craig knew it was more of a giggle. “H-he totally would.” Bright green eyes glittering, the Blond bumped into the taller boy playfully. “He’d call us d-dumb nicknames or something.”

“And tell us to do something different.”

“Yeah.”

“Ye _ p.” _

Eyes drifting to the floor, Tweek let a hand wander into his hair. It crept up his side and over his shoulder before finally lodging itself firmly in blond locks. Tugging on them, the boy intrepidly asked, “W-what if I screw it up?”

_ He could, _ the logical part of Craig said. But… Well, as long as it turned out better in the end, did it matter?

“I could screw up too, Tweek,” the stoic boy reminded the Blond. Shivering and yanking on his hair involuntarily, Tweek tossed his head up and stared at Craig. “What? I could.” Turning away from his friend, Craig continued, “But I’m still doing it. Because  _ I _ want something to change.” Feeling the need to do something with his hands, Craig pulled on the strings of his hoodie. “It might go fucking  _ awful, _ but you’ll be there, right? And so will I. And if it goes badly, then we’ll probably fight, and then get over it. We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

“I th-thought we were breaking up,” Tweek pointed out, no doubt as a weak attempt at humor. “N-not being together.”

Craig just faced Tweek, his eyes serious. “No matter what we are, I’ll always be your friend dude.” Then, unexpectedly, the boy cracked a true grin. One full of crooked teeth and a fondness that washed over him like a wave. “I’ve beaten the shit out of you too many times to just forget about you.”

Picking his chin up, Tweek breathed, “I’m -ghn- going out there.”

“You got this, dude,” Craig reassured. Expression returning to a more neutral set, the Noirette watched silently as Tweek walked out of the hallway and down the stairs. The Asian girls hadn’t yet looked up, but they would. Once things started happening, everyone would pay attention.

Straightening his back, Craig ran out after his friend, ready for this whole nightmare to be over. “Hey Tweek!” Reaching out a hand, the Noirette loudly, maybe a bit too pointedly, called, “Hold up!” As he skidded to a halt in front of Tweek, who was staring up at him with determination in those acid green eyes, Craig almost forgot what he was doing. The sight of the girls on the steps all looking up at them, however, reminded him of what they were supposed to be doing.

Right now, they were all smiling.  _ Well, that’s something I’m going to change. _

“Listen,” he began, a little stiltedly, but with a clear voice, one that everyone would hear. Turning so he could better address the room at large, Craig glanced out of the corner of his eye at Tweek before deliberately saying, “It’s just not going to work.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

Staring at Craig for a moment, Tweek blinked twitched nervously. “What? Why not?” Despite himself, Craig almost grinned. The Blond made it sound as real as it could possibly sound. Hell, it was almost like he was genuinely surprised.

They were already drawing a crowd. Across from Craig stood Token, his arms crossed. Bebe was there, along with Wendy, who looked confused. Glancing over his shoulder, the Noirette caught sight of Cartman’s gang moving in, sans the fatass. They all looked invested, Stan actually had his mouth hanging open, almost like he couldn’t believe what was happening.

_ That’s right, keep staring. Everyone has to know. _

Sucking in another breath, Craig lifted his hands and announced, “I’m sorry Tweek, but we can’t lie to ourselves anymore.” Tweek’s eyebrows lifted, and his bottom lip began to wobble. For a second, Craig felt a twinge of guilt, then he reminded himself why they were doing this.  _ When it’s over, I’ll go over to Tweek’s house or something, and people won’t think we’re anything more than friends. _

With that thought in mind, the Noriette turned to face the gathered assembly of kids. “Yes, we are gay, but we do  _ not _ belong together.” As he spoke, he waved a finger in the air, as if emphasizing his point. Glancing over at Tweek, Craig expected to see some show of sadness, but what he found left him taken aback.

All Tweek did was let his mouth fall open before blinking several times very quickly, but that reaction conveyed all the emotions it needed to.  _ Shit, he looks… really hurt. It’s all fake, he doesn’t have to look that upset. _

“W-we don’t belong together?” Shaking his head slightly, like he couldn’t believe what was happening, the Blond struggled for words for a moment before quickly asking, in a fearful voice, “What suddenly changed, Craig?”

Around them, the other kids were entirely silent, almost all wearing various expressions of horror or shock. Kyle had his eyebrows furrowed and his arms crossed, Stan was just simply holding onto the strap of his backpack, while his jaw dusted the floor. Behind them stood a familiar orange parka. From where he was, Craig couldn’t see enough of Kenny’s expression to judge his reaction.

_ Hah, I bet he didn’t expect me to do this, did he? _

Turning away so the other children couldn’t distract him, Craig blithely continued, “It's just that people are different.” Spreading his arms once more, Craig twisted his head to look at Tweek and calmly said, “That’s all.”

There was a moment where Tweek just stared at him with pain in his eyes, then abruptly, like a switch being flipped, the Blond’s fists balled up and his eyebrows furrowed over narrowed,  _ hurt _ eyes. “Uh huh.” Baring his teeth, the boy spat, “And who the hell is Michael!?”

_ Wait, what? We… didn’t plan this? _

Confused, Craig broke character and turned a flat look on Tweek, genuinely lost. The Blond, on the other hand, was having none of it. “Huh?!” he demanded, getting up in Craig’s face, shoving a finger into the taller boy’s chest. “You want to tell me that?!?”

Looking around quickly at the shocked faces of what was probably their entire grade, Craig took a step back, a cold feeling of dread filling him.  _ Who is Michael? What does he have to do with anything? Isn’t he that Goth kid, why is Tweek bringing  _ him _ up of all people? _

“What?” Craig asked, his voice sounding dumb, even to his own ears. “What are you- W-What are you talking about? Finally turning his whole body to face his friend, Craig searched the boy’s face, wondering why Tweek was suddenly going entirely off the script, but all he found was hurt and so much  _ anger. _

_ But we were just laughing together like a minute ago, what happened? _

Spreading his hands, Tweek advanced on Craig and leaned forward, getting up in the Noirette’s personal space without thought. “I went through your  _ phone _ when we went out last night,  _ Craig!” _ He said the words like they were supposed to evoke fear in the taller boy, and to be perfectly honest, they sort of did. Even though he hadn’t gone anywhere with Tweek the night before, the idea that he’d done something so wrong that the Blond would yell about it in front of the whole school left Craig feeling guilty.

_ Wait, no, I didn’t do anything. _

But Tweek wasn’t finished, not by a long shot. 

Clenching his fists, Tweek viciously jabbed his finger into the air to emphasize his points as he snapped, in a progressively louder voice, “I s-saw your texts to Michael about  _ hooking up with him!” _ Shaking his head, Craig found his own mouth hanging open, his shock mirroring the expressions of those around him.  _ I’d never do that to Tweek… Not that I’m- We weren’t even- Wait, why is this even happening? _

As the aura of the room around them darkened, Craig realized that he had more problems than Tweek’s anger. Blinking, the Noirette nervously looked around, and was somehow unsurprised to find nothing but stony expressions from his classmates. Even the kids from other grades watching the spectacle looked unimpressed.

“Wait, uh…” Feeling lost, alone, and progressively more nervous by the second, Craig hurriedly said, “That’s- That’s not what happened.”  _ Why the hell are you doing this Tweek? This was supposed to be staged, stop looking at me like I- Like I… _

Like he’d broken the boy’s heart.

As if to prove this, Tweek snarled and demanded, in a shrill voice, “Oh, it’s not!?” It sounded so real, and yet Craig knew that it was just a sham.

_ Did Tweek forget? _

“No,” Craig insisted, his heart racing in his chest, pounding against his rib-cage like a thundering drum.  _ Come on Tucker, get this back on track, it’s all going to turn out alright. _ “Uh…” Spreading his arms, giving Tweek an intense, pointed stare, the Noirette waved his hands and insisted, “Look, we both know this is for the better-”

“Oh don’t use that lame  _ shit _ on m-me, man!” Tweek scoffed, mockingly lifting his hands above his head, as if physically dismissing Craig’s excuses.  _ They aren’t even excuses, none of this is real! _ But Tweek was genuinely angry, disgusted even, like Craig had actually cheated on him and the Blond was finally breaking his silence.

Wrinkling his nose, Tweek waved his hands before him as he snarled, “You don’t wanna feel bad, s-so you try and tell me what I want?” Clapping a hand to his chest, the boy’s breath actually shuddered, like he was holding back so much more emotion than even this was letting on.

Noticing the downright scary glares forming around him, Craig held up open palms of surrender, the worry finally making its way onto his face for real. “Wait,” he hurried to say, lowering his voice. “Don’t make me out to be the bad guy here.” Even though he was trying to stick to the plan, what he wanted to say was something along the lines of  _ I don’t even care about Michael. I care about you, why would I cheat on you for him? _

Which was  _ stupid _ because none of it was even real and Tweek had probably pulled a random name out of his head and  _ this wasn’t fair. _

Suddenly, Token’s apprehension started to make sense. He’d been right, somehow he’d known. This had never had a chance to end up okay, because in the end, Craig hadn’t thought it through.

And now the whole thing was being thought out through him.

In answer to his plea, Tweek just let out a bitter laugh, throwing his hands into the air in angered helplessness. Tears began welling at the corners of those big green eyes as he choked out, “No, _no,_ you’re not the _bad guy,_ are you!?” Why was he turning that expression on Craig? Why did it hurt so much. “You’re _never_ the bad guy, are you??!” Tweek was biting his lip now, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall down his face. “You- You just s-step on people and you _use_ them!”

Staring at the finger that was shoved against his chest, Craig flatly said, “You’re going too far, dude.” Leaning in with a placating hand, the Noirette desperately attempted to say, “This is like  _ totally _ not necessary.”  _ Please stop, it hurts and I don’t even know why. You weren’t supposed to yell at me, you weren’t supposed to cry. You’re my friend, I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to hurt you! Don’t you see, I did this because I wanted us to be okay! _

He’d done this for all the right reasons, but Craig wasn’t sure that mattered anymore.

Turning, letting out a cry of frustration, Tweek wildly said, “ _ I’m _ going to far?!” Spinning back around, the boy threw his arms out wide and demanded, “W-what is  _ wrong _ with you??” More water dripped from his eyes before sliding down his cheeks, genuine pain manifesting itself from beneath all the crazed anger. Like even while he made a show of being mad, he was just desperately hurt, lost and alone. Even as he turned away to stare at the floor, his rage falling away like so much paper, Craig felt his insides wrench at the devastated expression on Tweek’s face.

It might have been the Blond crying, but in reality, it was Craig who felt like the world was dropping out from under him.

Losing his cool at last, the Noirette balled up his hands into fists of their own before growling, “This wasn’t part of the plan!”

Whirling around to face him once more, Tweek advanced on Craig and stared up into the boy’s frustrated eyes with all the wild emotion that the Noirette had never expected to see. “Well guess what, Craig,” Tweek spat,his jaw trembling like he was only just holding back sobs. “Love doesn’t follow a plan!”

From somewhere in the room, Butters called out, “Yeah!”

As the tears started to fall for real, covering his face and falling to the floor below in loud, pattering drops, Tweek brokenly said, “I was totally wrong about you.” Staring at the floor, holding a hand over his chest like he was physically trying to keep his broken heart together, the Blond tremulously continued, “I opened myself up, and let you in.”

Before Craig could reach for the boy, Tweek’s eyes narrowed once more, and those damningly green orbs flickered up to meet Craig’s own. “But you’ve got  _ spikes, _ man.” His hand fell from his chest, and he shook his head. “You’ve got spikes.”

Then he turned, and simply walked away, his head hanging limply from his neck as he did.

As his insides shriveled up and died, Craig looked around, lost. Wendy was following after the boy, calling out for him as she did, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. Turning, Craig caught Token’s gaze for a moment, and the black boy simply shook his head silently before walking away, pulling Bebe after him.

Glancing forward again, Craig found Wendy glaring at him viciously, anger clear in her eyes. Ignoring her, Craig tried to go after Tweek, calling after him, “Dude, seriously?  _ Seriously??” _

Instantly there were several people blocking his path, Wendy leading them, “You leave him alone, Tucker,” she growled. “You’ve already broken his heart, don’t you go trying to ruin anything else.”

Then she stormed away, silently condemning Craig to watch as even the Asian girls picked up their drawing tools before scurrying away, leaving the Noirette well and truly alone.

“I…” he softly said to the empty entrance hall. “I didn’t…”

But it didn’t matter anymore.

If there was no one to hear his excuses, was Craig truly making them at all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHA, I'M UNSTOPPABLE!!
> 
> Seriously though, I love my bois.


	27. The Trouble With Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I get a uhhhh big oof in the chat? That last chapter sure was wild, wasn't it? Don't worry, I won't leave our boys sad for long. Just a little longer, y'know? It'll make the fluff all the sweeter when it finally shows up.
> 
> Trust me, I know what I'm doing.
> 
> Enjoy.

It took till school had ended for Tweek to realize that something was seriously wrong.

He couldn’t remember when it had started to rain. At some point after lunch the sky had opened up, dumping water on South Park like it was intent to drown them. Outside the windows, you could see the heavy drops thumping against the glass, a constant drone in the background. Tweek didn’t really pay much attention to them at first, he’d been too caught up in the heady feeling of success.

But it hadn’t taken long for those feelings to fade.

“I’m so sorry Tweek,” someone was saying, Wendy. “I didn’t realize he was treating you like that, I wouldn’t have- I hope I never made you feel like you had to stay in such a toxic relationship.” There were several other girls around him, all muttering condolences, condemnations against Craig. Tweek could have cared less.

“Wendy, you of all people should know what it’s like to be in a bad relationship,” Annie exclaimed, crossing her arms. “You’re the one who’s always complaining about-”

“Don’t bring Stan into this,” Wendy hissed, putting her hand on Tweek’s shoulder. “Right now Tweek is hurting, can we  _ please _ not talk about my mistakes.” Puffing out her cheeks, the girl muttered, “Token was right. I shouldn’t have interfered with you two.”

Glancing around, mostly letting what Wendy was saying wash over him, Tweek craned his neck, trying to see past the girls to Craig’s locker.  _ Where is he? _ They hadn’t expressly talked about meeting here, but he’d sort of… Well, he’d expected Craig to find him. Everything had gone perfectly, hadn’t it?

“Don’t worry, I won’t rub it in.” Twitching, Tweek quickly looked up to find Token standing across from Wendy, a cool expression on his face. Catching the Blond’s eye, the black boy raised an eyebrow. “Michael, huh?”

“Token-” Wendy began, agast.

“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding,” Token responded, before she had a chance to finish. Shivering, Tweek glanced between the two of them as a dawning realization came over him.  _ He’s defending Craig, isn’t he. Because of what I said… _

A chill ran through the blond-haired boy that ran from where his skull met his spine to the very tips of his toes.  _ Jesus, I didn’t think they took me that seriously. I mean, I knew that we put on a good show, but I never thought that anyone would care? _ To be fair, he hadn’t thought very far ahead.

“A misunderstanding?” Jenny asked, cluching her books to her chest and glowering at Token. “You heard what Tweek-”

“Craig is a lot of things, but he isn’t shallow. He’s not the type to… Two-time someone.” Leveling an icy look at Wendy, Token finally smiled, the expression thin. “Maybe you should think before acting this time.”

Tweek winced.  _ Oh god, he’s talking to me too, isn’t he. _ Gut curling uncomfortably, the boy tried to once more see around the girls, hoping to get a glimpse of Craig, but all he saw were somber students, all shuffling around like they were lost. Miserable.  _ I can’t take this anymore. _

“Ngh- Where’s Craig?” Tweek squeaked, looking to Token nervously as he spoke.

“You don’t need to worry about him anymore,” Wendy quickly said, her conversation with the black boy instantly forgotten. “Don’t let him hurt you anymore Tweek, you’re stronger than that.”

“What wise words,” Token muttered, puffing out a slightly derisive laugh under his breath. When Wendy gave him a horrified look, the boy regained his air of dignity, straightening his back and raising a challenging eyebrow.

“Can we not have this conversation here?” she demanded, huffing and crossing her arms. 

Token ignored her. “Craig already left, Tweek.”  _ Wait, what? _ Shivering, Tweek let out a shocked sound.

“W-why did he leave?” the Blond questioned, his eyes wide and imploring.

“Well, I’d imagine it’s because the entire school is upset with him,” Token suggested, his eyes drifting from Tweek to Wendy and her friends. “They’re all under the impression that he cheated on you and broke your heart.” In a slightly lower tone, the black boy continued, “After all, you did break down into tears in front of everyone.”

“I- I didn’t mean-” Tweek tried.

“No, Tweek, don’t listen to him,” Annie insisted, shushing the Blond. “He’s just defending that dirty cheater because he’s Craig’s friend.”

A surprisingly bright yet frigid smile crossing his face, Token bowed his head. “You got me. Now, if you’ll excuse me-” The boy tapped Tweek’s shoulder. “I want to talk to Tweek. Alone.” Beckoning for the Blond to follow him, Token walked away, leaving Tweek to quickly pick up his backpack and hurry after him.

The moment he had escaped the circle of girls, Tweek was better able to see the faces of the other students. It felt like everyone he passed was having trouble meeting his eyes. Now, Tweek was used to this, usually people ignored him, but this was different. Every time someone  _ did _ look his way, the only thing he saw on their faces was pity. That or sadness, like they’d lost something dear to them.  _ Why is everyone acting like this? Craig and I weren’t even together, they were just making it up and believing the Asian girls. Why are they so upset?? _

Hurrying to catch up to Token, Tweek shivered before bursting, “I’m s-sorry, I didn’t mean to- Jesus, I didn’t mean to do this! I mean, Craig and I, w-we had it all planned out and -ghn- We just wanted people to leave us alone!!” The black boy didn’t stop, however, he just kept walking until they reached the entrance hall of the school. There, he pulled Tweek aside until they were standing near the railing that overlooked the doors. 

Finally looking down at Tweek, Token crossed his arms and said, “I’m going to tell you exactly what I told Craig. Your plan was badly thought out, stupid, and risky, with a high probability of going badly.” Twitching at each of the condemnations, Tweek stared at the ground, guilt beginning to crawl into the back of his mind.

“I- I’m sorry,” Tweek tried. “Craig told me the plan, and I-”

“Followed it. Yes, I know.” Puffing out a breath, the black boy stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking back down at Tweek. Even though he hadn’t stated it explicitly, Tweek could feel the frustration coming off of him in waves. “Tweek, do you know what you did?”

“No?” Tweek mumbled, tugging on his hair with one hand as he stared at his untied shoes. “H-how bad is it?”

Token didn’t answer, but Tweek could  _ feel _ the boy’s eyes boring into his skull. Yanking his head up to meet his friend’s gaze, the Blond shivered. Because he could see the answer in those stony brown eyes. _ Everyone thinks Craig is awful because of what I said. They aren’t going to leave us alone, everything is just going to get worse. Now everyone hates Craig and feels bad for me even though I’m the one who made all that stuff up. Craig never did anything, but they don’t know that. This is South Park, no one cares about the truth!! _

“Oh  _ Jesus,” _ Tweek moaned softly, tugging on his hair harder.  _ I screwed everything up. _

“Well well, look who it is!” Snapping his neck around, Tweek let out a squeak at the sight of Kenny ambling towards them, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his parka hood pulled back to reveal a grim smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Just the people, well,  _ person _ I was looking to find.”

“I assume I’m not the one you’re looking for,” Token said blithely, stepping back from Tweek and letting his arms fall to his sides. Eyes giving the black boy a once over, Kenny’s expression brightened into a smile that was a bit too wide to be real.

“Well, I wasn’t  _ not _ looking for you,” the Sandy-blond offered, his crooked smile slowly fading into a more natural smirk. “But I’ll admit, you got me, I was looking for Tweekers today~” Wiggling his fingers, Kenny leaned down slightly and gave Tweek an unreadable look. “After all, it seems he’s decided that he’s the star of the show today.”

“I d-didn’t mean to do that,” Tweek attempted to say, twisting his free hand in his shirt and wishing that he hadn’t left his thermos in his backpack. It was empty, but he wished he had something to hold onto. “Jesus Kenny, y-you know I’d never- Never…” Mouth snapping shut at the impassive line of Kenny’s lips, Tweek let out a frustrated cry, but didn’t try and finish his sentence.

_ I didn’t mean to hurt Craig. _

But he had, and only his best friends knew enough to blame him for it.

Suddenly, Tweek found Kenny patting his back, a hearty action that felt hollow. Abruptly, Tweek realized that he’d never seen Kenny genuinely upset with him. Instantly, he wished that it would stop, he didn’t like this at all. Even if he did deserve it.

“Let me take him off your hands, yeah?” Kenny asked, sucking in his cheeks and giving Token a little shrug. When Token gave him an unimpressed look, the Sandy-blond held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to bite his head off. I just want-” His eyes flickered down to Tweek, and he grinned, congenial as ever. “To talk.”

“I’ll be fine,” Tweek mumbled in Token’s direction, bowing his head and shivering slightly. Token wouldn’t tell him what he’d done, after all. But Kenny, well… Tweek knew how much the boy cared about him and Craig, and he knew that because of that, the Sandy-blond wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

_ At least he’ll tell me what’s going on. _

It wasn’t much comfort, but if Tweek had screwed up, then he wasn’t going to run away from the consequences.

As he was ushered away from Token, Tweek gripped his backpack tightly with his fingers, trying and failing to keep his heart rate under control. Kenny was humming under his breath as he walked, but there was an edge to his step, and every time his sky-blue eyes met Tweek’s, there was impassable ice in them.

Leading them out of the school, grabbing an umbrella someone had forgotten as he went, Kenny popped the device up and over them before finally walking out of the building. Before the doors closed, Tweek turned to look for Token and found the boy watching him, a worried look in his eyes. Letting a tremor work through him, Tweek tightened his grip on his backpack and let the doors swing closed behind them.

“So, Tweekers!” Kenny announced, eyes lighting up as he spoke. “Tweeky, Tweekeroni…” He sighed. “Tweek.” Some of the mirth died from his eyes. “That was quite the ah… performance you put on today at lunch. Definitely a show, there were tears and  _ everything.  _ It was impressive, actually. Where did you learn to cry on command like that, even  _ I _ haven’t learned to do that.”

“I- I don’t-” Tweek stammered, unsure what he was supposed to say to that. He’d somehow expected Kenny to be a little more direct about the matter, this was setting him off balance.  _ Oh god, he’s going to kill me… _

“I mean, correct me if I’m wrong,” Kenny continued, staring up at their umbrella, as though watching the water roll off the edges was fascinating. “But I’d say it’s a little hard to break up with Craig when you’re not gay, not dating, and supposedly still friends with him. I mean, who even  _ is _ Michael?”

“Rrrr- I just picked a name,” Tweek admitted, staring at the ground so he wouldn’t have to meet Kenny’s eyes. 

“Is that so?” Kenny asked brightly, and Tweek could clearly see the Sandy-blond’s crooked grin in his mind’s eye. “For just  _ picking a name, _ you were certainly convincing. I got  _ chills.” _ As though sparked by Kenny mentioning them, Tweek felt chills run down his back, like water creeping down past his shirt and dripping down his spine. “I gotta know, did you talk that whole thing out with Craig before hand because if you did,  _ wow, _ his acting was as on point as yours was.”

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, almost causing Tweek to run into him, Kenny spent a second rocking back onto his heels before turning around and facing the Blond. “Or did you come up with all that on the spot without even  _ warning _ Craig before hand.”

“It was his idea-” Tweek attempted to protest, balling his hands into fists.

“That wasn’t what I asked,” Kenny responded, his face taking on an almost eerie calm. _ I never meant to do this, _ Tweek thought desperately, mentally grasping at straws. When he didn’t answer, the Sandy-blond before him chuckled bitterly. “Tweek Tweak, do you have  _ any _ idea how badly you just screwed up?”

The words echoed Token’s, but this time, Tweek decided to answer. “I d-didn’t mean to hurt him!” the Blond burst, grabbing for his hair and pulling as he began to shake in earnest. “Jesus, I didn’t even th-think, he- He told me to just follow his lead and I tried to but -Oh god- I don’t know what happened, I just started talking and it went so well, and I thought Craig was responding t-to what I was saying but h-he wasn’t acting, was he!?”

The laugh that escaped Kenny was so hollow, you could have left an echo inside it. “Oh  _ Tweek, _ of  _ course it wasn’t fucking acting.” _ Leaning over him, waving the umbrella about despite the rain that was pouring down over both of them, Kenny continued, “I don’t know what Craig thought you two were doing, but  _ oh boy _ did you do something completely different.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Tweek yelped, shivering as water began to trickle down his back, dampening his hair and pressing it down to his scalp. “H-he told me to act so I did!”

“Oh, I’m sure you thought that’s what you were doing,” Kenny agreed, nodding along, the stony expression on his face ruining the effect. “And I’ll bet that you were just messing around when you decided to try and  _ ruin _ Craig’s life.”

Mouth falling open, Tweek felt his hands slip from his wet hair.  _ Ruin his life? But he’s my friend… _

“I’m sorry,” Tweek whispered, that clawing guilt trying desperately to escape him by tearing apart his chest from the inside. Pressing a hand over his ribs, trying to keep the monster in, the Blond desperately squeaked, “I just w-wanted it all to be over, and Craig said this would end it.”

“Well, Tweeky, I dunno what you thought ending it looked like, but this ain’t it, sis.” Running a hand over his face, Kenny shook his head and put a hand on his hip so he could stare off to the side, like he was trying to find the right words. “Tweek, you’re my friend. You and Craig are both my friends,” he began, finally turning back to the Blond. Whatever Kenny had been about to say, Tweek would never know, because at that moment the boy chose to fall silent and just stare at the smaller boy, like he couldn’t properly express what he wanted to say.

“I care about Craig,” Tweek mumbled as blond locks limply slipped into his face, slick with rain.

“Then fucking  _ act _ like it,” Kenny said, his tone chilling, more cold than the rain ever could be. “Because I  _ know _ that Craig cares about you, more than he probably should.”

Those words, even though they were no doubt intended to make Tweek feel even worse, sparked something in the Blond instead. “B-but he’s been avoiding me all week!” he cried out, shaking hands forming into fists. “He acts like he’s -ngh-  _ ashamed _ of me!! Like I’m n-not good enough or something. Just b-because everyone was drawing art of us and calling us gay! I just wanted to be his friend, but all he cared about was what other people thought-”

“So you selfishly took that out on him when he was  _ desperately _ trying to make things better for both of you,” Kenny snapped, cutting Tweek off. Running a hand through his soaked hair, the Sandy-blond blew out a breath. “Sorry, I’m just… Wow, I’m  _ disappointed, _ Tweek. I know you aren’t perfect, but you’re better than this.”

Trembling, small involuntary sounds escaping him as he did, Tweek stared at the ground, the horrible monster of guilt in his chest roaring at him so loudly he couldn’t even hear the voices in his head. Because Kenny was right, in that moment when he’d accused Craig of cheating on him, even though they weren’t together and it had been supposed to just be a tame, staged event, Tweek had felt that anger from the past week rise up and he hadn’t stopped it. No, instead he’d thrown it at Craig, and he hadn’t stopped even when the Noirette had turned that heartbroken and confused expression on him.

He’d just kept pushing. Just kept making things worse.

“Craig would do  _ anything  _ for you Tweek,” Kenny said softly, his tone calmed significantly. Looking up, Tweek found a bitter expression on the Blond’s face. “He would put himself through hell if it meant he could just be  _ friends _ with you. Heck-” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you two had come out today and said you were dating. Honestly, he wouldn’t even have to act differently. I’m pretty sure that in his own way, Craig loves you.”

Eyes darkening, Kenny muttered, “But you really screwed this one up, Tweek.” Glancing up at him, the Sandy-blond sighed. “I know how much you care about him. And yeah, the past week or so has been an absolute clusterfuck, but if Craig is strong when you’re not, then you need to be strong when he isn’t. And for the love of god, Tweek, pay attention when someone gives you their all, otherwise you’re going to lose them. And goodness knows no one wants to see that happen.” 

As the rain continued to fall on them, Kenny looked away. “It doesn’t have to be in the same ways, but you have to  _ show _ you care, Tweek. Saying it just isn’t enough. Actions will  _ always _ speak louder than words.”

“He looked r-really upset today at lunch,” Tweek mumbled, his limbs hanging limply by his sides as the rain deluged over him.

“That was heartbreak, Tweek,” Kenny stated, confirming what the Blond had already thought for himself. “That was the look of someone who was giving their all and suddenly had it thrown back in their face.”

As he stood there, letting Kenny’s words swirl around him, Tweek remembered another time that he’d seen that look on Craig’s face. By the pond, the night that Kenny had drowned and Craig had fought beside Bebe, when the Noirette had come to find him, Tweek had seen that same look of heartbreak on his face.

_ No one is perfect, least of all me. But he’s always tried, and maybe at some point, I stopped trying… _

“I s-screwed up,” Tweek said, rubbing his arms and shivering as he spoke. Teeth clattering together, the Blond stared up at Kenny. “But he’s still my friend. He promised that even if everything w-went wrong, we’d still be friends.”

“He promised?” Kenny asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what about what  _ you _ promised?”

“I didn’t,” Tweek admitted, his eyes flitting off to the side before snapping back to Kenny’s face. “Rrrr- But I’m promising now!”

“Go on, what are you going to do?” Kenny asked, tipping his chin up.

“I’m going to talk to him-”

“No, what are you promising?” the Sandy-blond pushed, resting on the point of the upside-down umbrella as he spoke. "You can talk to him till your blue in the face, but there needs to be conviction behind it, otherwise they're just words."

Clenching his fists, Tweek lifted his head and stared at Kenny with every ounce of fierceness he could muster. “I’m going to show him that I care, even if it’s h-hard, because Craig would do the same for me -ngh- no matter what.”

Gradually, Kenny’s hard expression softened until he was watching Tweek with a slight, relieved smile. “Good, I’m glad.” Lifting the umbrella once more, the Sandy-blond reached over and ruffled Tweek’s wet hair. As the boy tried to duck away from Kenny with a squawk, the taller boy said, “I’m sorry I was so harsh.”

“No, I n-needed that,” Tweek admitted, finally letting Kenny muss his wet hair into a weird spiky mess. “I don’t want to hurt Craig, rrr- I want to be his friend.”

“You are,” Kenny confirmed. Pulling Tweek into a wet, one armed side-hug, the Sandy-blond chirped, “In fact, you’re more than just his friend, Tweekers, you’re the most important person to him in the world.”

Fidgeting with his hands, Tweek softly mumbled, “H-he’s everything to me Kenny. Jesus, I- I might not be good at showing it, b-but he’s  _ so _ important. I never want to lose him.”

“If you put your all into it,” Kenny reassured Tweek, his voice distant. “I don’t think you will.”

Nodding shakily, Tweek gripped the straps of his backpack. Snorting, Kenny finally let the Blond go before settling their umbrella over them, inadvertently dumping quite a bit of water over them. Laughing as Tweek let out a shriek of surprise, Kenny exclaimed, “Now, let’s get out of the rain. I’m cold, and you look like you could use a cup of coffee.”

Patting Tweek on the shoulder once more, the Sandy-blond started down the sidewalk once more, leaving the shorter boy to squeak and catch up.

_ I’m going to fix things Craig, I promise. _   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Kenny, you wise child. Someday, someone's going to put you in your place like you put everyone else in theirs. But today is not that day.
> 
> Ahh, this story is way too much fun. I just need to start updating earlier in the day instead of leaving it for midnight~ Oh well, I'll get there. 
> 
> Until next time, I suppose.


	28. Alone, With Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I got so few comments on the last chapter *cries* It's alright, I'm still delighted I get any comments at all, y'all are absolutely wonderful.
> 
> I just worked an eight hour shift and came home to write this. Now it's one in the morning and I'm only just posting this, but I don't really care. I've had this chapter planned for ages, and I'm so fucking happy it's here! Every chapter makes me happy at this point.
> 
> I hope y'all are having a good day, and I hope that you are having as much fun as I am.
> 
> Enjoy.

As the rain poured over him in sheets, Craig shuffled his feet over the wet sidewalk. Each step sent a little splash of water over his already soaked sneakers, and every few minutes he had to stop to push his sopping hair out of his face. Eventually, he’d get it cut. Right now though, a haircut was the furthest thing from his mind.

_ Who’s Michael? _ Clenching his fists, Craig drew in a heavy breath as he stared at the ground, frustration battling the pain that was eating away at his insides.  _ Who is he, Tweek? Where the  _ fuck _ did that come from? What on earth possessed you to say stuff like that? _

He’d felt the anger from his classmates through the rest of the day. Even people who hadn’t been there when Tweek had gone off script and destroyed Craig’s heart knew about it, and  _ all _ of them believed the Blond’s story entirely. The only person who’d intimated that they  _ didn’t _ buy Tweek’s story was Token, and that was probably only because Craig had told him it was all a sham before hand. But even the black boy hadn’t spoken to the distressed Noirette, he’d left like everyone else.

Of course, he hadn’t exactly given anyone a chance to talk to him during the rest of lunch. After being abandoned in the entrance hall, the Noirette had fled to a second floor boy’s bathroom that opened onto the roof of the school. There he’d sat, attempting and failing to process what had happened.

_ Why would Tweek do that? _ Why did it hurt this much? After all of the fighting between the two of them, Craig had sort of assumed that this fake fight would roll off of him, but then Tweek had accused him of manipulating the Blond, claimed that Craig didn’t care at all. Those words stuck with him, lodged themselves in Craig’s brain and softly whispered terrible things in his ears, things that the Noirette couldn’t quite shake.

Grabbing for the strings of his chullo, Craig tugged on his hat roughly, pulling it over his forehead. “What did I do, Tweek?” the boy demanded of the empty sidewalk. “I’d never cheat on you, I’d never treat you like that, why would you-” Stopping himself, the Noirette shook his head, annoyed that he was still hung up on something that hadn’t even been real in the first place. 

There was no Michael, or anyone else for that matter. Craig and Tweek hadn’t been together, and they weren’t gay, and Craig hadn’t... 

Hadn’t been that bad, right?

That was the problem, wasn’t it? Tweek’s accusations felt so real, the Blond had looked genuinely distraught, who was Craig to say it was fake just because they’d agreed it was before hand.  _ But if we agreed then it  _ was _ fake so why am I still thinking about it? _

At the end of the day, no matter how fake or real it had been, Tweek’s words had killed Craig, and he hated himself for being so weak when it had been made up.

He could have said that he was upset because the entire school probably hated him at this point, but that wasn’t entirely true. South Park Elementary had never been too keen on Craig Tucker in the first place, this was nothing new. Sure, it was a gut-curling experience, walking through the halls and finding everyone glaring at him like he’d murdered someone, but he’d get over that. Eventually, it would probably become normal if it lasted long enough.

But the thought that Tweek had been able to so easily pretend to be hurt by Craig, had been able to put on such a convincing show that everyone believed him? That was terrifying. And painful, so painful that Craig was still rubbing at his chest, trying to make the gaping hole inside of him go away.  _ I should have talked to him, _ a voice in the back of his head insisted, sensibly perhaps.  _ I should have stayed behind and talked to Tweek and figured out what the hell happened at Lunch. _

If he was being entirely honest with himself, Craig hadn’t wanted to talk to Tweek. Especially after what had happened. Heck, he wasn’t even sure what would have been worse. The Blond maintaining the charade of Craig being a vicious, cold hearted bastard, or treating the Noirette like nothing had happened. Both sounded terrible, and Craig couldn’t decide which would hurt less, so he’d left, so he wouldn’t have to deal with either of them. Cowardly, maybe, but it had been the only thing he could have done.

As his expression fell, lost its usual flatness in favor of a miserable frown, Craig kicked a pebble across the sidewalk.  _ I wish Tweek had talked to me, instead of just vanishing for Lunch. Did he even look for me? _ Probably not.

Tugging at the hem of his hat, Craig bit the inside of his cheek.  _ I have to stop thinking about him, it’s only making things worse. _ Hah, easier said than done. The only thing he  _ could _ think about was Tweek.  _ Kenny would tell me to focus of myself. _

Kenny could go fuck himself, Craig thought savagely, even though he didn’t mean it in the slightest.  _ He’s not here, and I feel like absolute shit. _ Sighing, the Noirette glanced up at the sky and blinked against the deluge of rain. Somehow, the weather matching his mood was a small comfort in a sea of terribleness. At least the sky could agree that everything sucked and didn’t deserve to continue.

Turning onto his street, Craig noted both of his parent’s cars in the drive, but he hardly bothered to react.  _ What would they even get upset about anymore? I just got dumped. _ Which was almost funny, because not only had they never been together, but it had also been Craig’s idea. Yet it still felt like in the end, Tweek had been the one to destroy Craig, and not the other way around.

_ I wonder if he found it fun… _

God, probably not, but at this point, Craig didn’t know what to think. Everything hurt, and he wanted the world to stop for a second so he could just scream at the sky and wish for a different reality where everything wasn’t quite so screwed up.  _ Fuck Token for being right about this. If I’d listened, this wouldn’t have happened. _ It was almost funny, he’d been so eager for change, he hadn’t calculated what that change was actually going to look like.

Slogging up the stairs to his door, Craig began to open it only for his dad to pull it open. Without glancing up, the Noirette stumbled into the house, his head buzzing too much to pay much attention to what Thomas Tucker was doing. Still, he couldn’t help but notice the thin, vindicated look on his dad’s face that slowly sobered as Craig just kept trudging past.

_ Yeah, pretend to care how I’m doing? Like I’ll believe you at all. _

The moment he got to his room, Craig was already stripping of his clothes, trying to get the heavy, wet material off of him, in the hopes that it would make him feel better. As he stood there in his underwear, wringing out his hat and watching as the resulting water sunk into the carpet, the boy heard someone knock on his door. Glancing over at it, Craig pushed some of his hair out of his eyes before flatly calling, “Come in?”

Almost instantly, Ruby tumbled into the room, dragging something behind her. The moment her eyes landed on her brother, she let out a sound of disgust and backed up, shielding her eyes with a hand. “Oh my god, put on some clothes,” she complained, just as she always did.

“You’re the one in my room,” Craig pointed out, his voice tired, not exactly up for verbally sparring with his sister.

Grumbling, the youngest Tucker muttered, “Well you could have  _ told _ me you weren’t dressed. Which is what most  _ normal _ people do.”

“Fight me,” Craig snorted, though he did wander over to his dresser. 

“I just might,” Ruby intoned, though she didn’t sound as fiery as usual.

Ignoring it, Craig went about getting dressed. Depositing his hat on the surface, the boy dug around in one of the drawers until he found a pair of pajama pants. Wriggling into them, frustrated when they stuck to his wet skin, the Noirette finally grunted and announced, “I’ve got pants on, is that good enough?”

“I guess,” Ruby said, making a big show of sighing loudly. Still, she pushed the door open once more and stood there, staring at him. For a moment, they just watched each other, then Craig went back to clothing himself. Pulling out a shirt, one with an alien head on the front, the Noirette took a moment to enjoy the feeling of dry clothes against his skin.

The weight inside of him didn’t go away, but he tried to push that out of his mind as much as possible.

_ It’s not like I can talk to Tweek this instant, after all. Besides, I wouldn’t even want to talk to him. _ What would Craig even say? ‘Hey, what you did was shitty, please don’t do that again’? That sounded stupid. ‘Tweek, I know I’m not gay, but I think you just broke my insides and it’s kind of uncomfortable, why did you do that’?

No, it was best to just avoid the Blond for now.

Suddenly, his sister was snapping her fingers under his nose. She’d left the box she’d been carrying beside the door in favor of waving in front of Craig’s face pointedly. “Excuse you, asshole, I was trying to talk to you,” Ruby informed him, crossing her arms hotly. “Pay attention when I’m speaking.”

“Sorry,” Craig told her evenly. “I tuned you out.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Standing there for a moment so she could just stare at him, the young girl finally said, “I was trying to ask if you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” Craig lied, his tone rough.

“No you’re not,” Ruby stated, tapping her foot. “Anyone can see that. Even our dumb dad noticed.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Craig stressed, the emotion careening around in his chest leaking out into his words.

For a moment, it looked like Ruby was going to argue, but after a moment of watching Craig with a sobering expression, the girl relented. “Fine,” the young Tucker muttered, putting her head down, letting strawberry blond hair tumble into her face. Miraculously, it was dry, despite the rain outside.  _ She must have taken the bus… _

“Is that all you wanted?” Craig asked, awkwardly shifting on his feet as the silence dragged out.

“No, it’s not,” Ruby stated, startling back into motion. Hurrying back to the door, the girl pulled the box into the room and lifted it into the air. Carrying it over to Craig’s bed, the girl sat it down before clambering up onto the mattress after it. Lifting her chin into the air, Ruby bluntly said, “You’re still really sad about Stripe, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Craig said slowly, frowning at the mention of his deceased pet, the memory of whom was horribly fresh in his mind. “Of course I am, Stripe was the best guinea pig ever, I really miss him.”

“Well,” Ruby began, wriggling on the bed like she couldn’t get comfortable. “I talked to mom for a while, and it took a lot of convincing, and I had to use my allowance too, but…” Folding her hands together in her lap for less than a second, Ruby suddenly reached over and yanked the lid off of the box. “We- uh…”

Blinking at her slowly, Craig stared in absolute wonder as Ruby pulled a small, wriggling lump of fur out of the box, her fingers carefully folded around the creature just like he’d taught her. Holding the wiggling animal up, Ruby softly said, “I got you a new Stripe. You can call him Stripe number three, and I know he can’t replace Stripe number two, but… well, here he is.”

Eyes wide, his insides doing weird, happy flips, Craig slowly walked forward and reached out his hands to accept the creature. “I- Thank you,” he said thickly, his voice coming out strange. The guinea pig was so soft in his slightly pruned up hands, and Craig could hardly believe this was real. “Thank you so much,” he repeated, even as his eyes began to brim with tears. 

Whether they were from this or just the sheer emotional stress he’d gone through that day, Craig didn’t know and didn’t really care.

Staring down at his new pet, Craig softly mumbled, “Stripe Three… You look just like Stripe number two.”

Jumping off of Craig’s bed, Ruby hurried over to her brother before throwing her arms around his middle in a crushing hug. “I’m sorry everything is so terrible right now,” she muttered, letting go of the boy almost as quickly as she’d made contact. “But it’s gonna get better. I know it will.”

“Yeah,” Craig said, finding a smile breaking out over his face, despite everything. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Eventually, it would.

)))-(((

Unfortunately, several days later, the Noirette was finding this statement to be rather untrue.

Three days after everything had gone down, Craig still had yet to talk to Tweek about the whole incident, and it was weighing on him like a two ton sack of bricks. Every time he’d had the opportunity, the hurting boy had passed it up, unable to face Tweek and finally figure out what had happened back there, because no matter what the answer, he was sure it would hurt.

Yet still, the silence was killing him. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take.

Tightening one of the bolts of his bike, an ongoing project that was one of those things he relied on to distract him from the real world, Craig puffed out a breath. There was grease up to his elbows and there was sweat on his forehead, but at least he didn’t have to think about Tweek while he worked.  _ In theory. _

In practice, the Blond was never far from his mind.

Kenny would have probably had a name for it. Seeing as the Sandy-blond had hardly said a word to him in the past few days, Craig elected to ignore that wisdom, no matter how true it might have been. Apparently, even his closest friends were avoiding him.

_ Maybe that’s because you’re avoiding them. _

Well, that could have been part of it too.

Letting out a sigh, the Noirette tossed his wrench down onto the ground next to the other wheel of his bike and slumped back against the fence for a moment. Above them, the sky was still a cloudy mess, it had been raining off and on since the day Tweek and he had ‘broken up’. Craig was tiring of it, but he couldn’t exactly complain. It wasn’t like he disagreed with the atmosphere’s judgement of South Park and the things going on there.

As he stewed in his own thoughts, the tall boy was hardly surprised when a smirking face pushed open his fence. Naturally, it wasn’t Kenny, no, he wasn’t that lucky. Instead, Craig was met with the smarmy face of Cartman. Why he’d decided to show up, of all people in the world, was beyond the Noirette at this point. Some time long past, the boy had given up on understanding why the universe hated him so much.

“Well well well,” Cartman drawled, his eyes narrowed and an almost pleasant smile on his face. “I knew I’d find you here.”

“Yeah, it’s my house, dick,” Craig responded in his usual unimpressed and flat tone. He didn’t even bother asking why Cartman was there, the Noirette was sure that he’d find out, whether he really wanted to or not.  _ Hah, at least someone is talking to me. _

Unperturbed by his reaction, Cartman walked closer, smirking from ear to ear. “I bet you’re wondering why I decided to show up at your house, Craig, when you’re nothing but a fag.”

“Not really,” Craig intoned, turning back to work on his bike. “Actually, I couldn’t give less of a fuck.” It was true, and he wasn’t exactly in a mood to hide what he was feeling.

“Mmm, well Craig, if you knew, you wouldn’t be saying that,” Cartman muttered, the fat boy sounding rather irritated with Craig’s complete lack of interest.  _ What does he expect? For me to demand to know what he knows? Like I give a damn?? God, he’s self obsessed. _

“Look, fatass,” Craig began, turning and furrowing his brows ever so slightly. “I’m really not in the mood for your bullshit. I’m not actually in the mood for anyone’s bullshit. So…” He lifted one grease covered hand in the direction of the gate. “The door is right there.”

“Craig Tucker,” Cartman exclaimed, clapping a hand over his chest as if in horor. “I’m just here to check up on my  _ friend. _ After all, didn’t your little boyfriend just dump you?”

Insides going cold, Craig’s expression soured further. “I don’t want to talk about Tweek.”

“Oh, I’m sure you don’t,” Cartman gloated, his face pulling up into a grotesque expression. “After all, he’s the one who made the school hate your guts. Which they should, because you’re a dirty cheater who steps on people and uses them.”

His hands itched to curl into fists, but Craig resisted the urge, if only just. Instead, he faced his bike once more and got back on his knees so he could continue fiddling with the gears. “All of that stuff was bullshit,” he muttered, his gaze focused on his work, even if his mind was far from it.

“You say it was, but everyone knows that you two aren’t talking anymore,” Cartman pressed, leaning on one of the buckets supporting Craig’s bike. “Isn’t that right, Craig? What did you do to get your boyfriend so upset if not break his heart?”

“Why do you even give a shit?” Craig demanded, his deadpan voice breaking and revealing his annoyance. “Why are you here Cartman?”

Ignoring his second question, the fat boy smirked from ear to ear and crooned, “Oh Craig, I’ve always cared about you and Tweek. After all, I’m the reason those Asian girls ever started drawing you at all.”

You might have expected Craig to react to those words. Hell, Craig anticipated his own reaction and began to brace for it, but to be honest, the only emotion those words evoked in him was something akin to a slow, burning anger that bubbled beneath the surface, just waiting to be released. “You  _ what?” _ he asked, his words slow and deliberate.

“I figured that the two of you were having so much trouble accepting that you were just fags that were totally having sex, so I pointed those girls to the two of you so they could help you realize the truth.” Smiling nastily, a wild light in his eyes, Cartman continued, “After all, before they were just drawing Stan and Kyle, and everyone knows that they aren’t gay. Whereas you and Tweek  _ are.” _

Craig didn’t lunge for Cartman, but he got in the boy’s face all the same. “I’m  _ not _ gay!” the Noirette snapped, his hand reaching for the fat boy’s collar and holding back at the last second. “I don’t care  _ what _ you said to those girls, I’m not gay and I never will be! Tweek and I aren’t having sex or doing any of that shit and I wouldn’t want to because I’m not into him. I would  _ never _ date Tweek.”

“But you two are so close,” Cartman shot back, his eyes gleaming maliciously. “Come on Craig, we all know what you really want. You totally want to be with Tweek and get inside those-”

Craig didn’t let Cartman finish. Towering over the fatass, his eyes going dark, the Noirette growled, “Even if I were to date Tweek, it would never be real because I will  _ never _ feel that way about him. No amount of weird ass art is going to change that. I’m not fucking gay and I don’t care what you think Cartman, because you can just fuck off, right now.”

Taking a step back, lifting his hands into the air innocently, Cartman called, “No need to get so violent, Craig, I just wanted to check up on you.” Lips curling up into a smile, the boy added, “And to remind you not to mess with me, because I never forget.”

“Get out before I  _ throw you out,” _ Craig said in a low, threatening voice.

“I was already leaving,” Cartman hummed, waltzing, or more accurately, waddling towards the gate. “I hope you and Tweek are happy~” Then, before Craig could respond, the gate shut, and Cartman’s cackling began to fade as the boy walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how little Craig cares what Cartman has to say. It's such a mood.
> 
> Funny enough, I had a totally different plan for who was going to give Craig Stripe #3, but last second I changed my mind, and I think I like this better. It's really endearing, having Craig's newest pet come from his sister, and I wanted to establish their relationship a little better. After all, the Tucker siblings stick together.
> 
> Well, now it's come time for me to pass out. I hope y'all had a good time, and I suppose I'll see you next time. 
> 
> Toodles~!


	29. Better Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I looked forward to writing this chapter all day. Don't ask me why Tweek keeps having conversations with Wendy when she's literally the least useful character when it comes to helping Tweek understand himself. I'd give you an answer, but I don't have one.
> 
> But lets not spoil anything.
> 
> Enjoy.

You know it’s bad when the whole town decides to react to it.

Shivering, his hands clenched around each other in search of a cup of coffee that he didn’t have, Tweek stared up at the picture of himself and Craig, which was being bought by a depressed looking couple. In the painting, he was reaching out for Craig, while the angry looking Noirette turned his back on the Blond. There was snow falling around them for some reason, and in the picture, Tweek looked heartbroken.

 _That’s not how it went,_ the blond thought, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn’t even sure why he was here, other than because he hadn’t been able to think of anything better to do. Since the fake breakup, Tweek had felt listless, yet every time he’d thought of doing the one thing he _needed_ to do, he’d been terrified.

 _What if Craig pushes me away?_ Kenny had said that the Noirette wasn’t talking to _anyone_ since it had happened, and Tweek didn’t like the sound of those chances. Sure, he’d looked for Craig, in the hopes that maybe he’d find the boy on accident and be forced to face what he’d done, but as of yet, Tweek hadn’t managed to stumble across the Noirette. And yeah, that might have been because Craig was expressly avoiding Tweek, but the Blond couldn’t help but feel like he hadn’t done enough, because well, he _hadn’t._

 _I should talk to him, then this could all be over,_ Tweek thought, twitching minutely and glancing over another picture, this one of him faceplanted onto a table. In the steam from his coffee was a broken heart, with Craig’s face inside. Letting out a soft “Rrr-”, Tweek shook his head and hurried along. The art here might not have been accurate, but it still left a terrible taste in his mouth. He _missed_ Craig, and this stuff wasn’t making it any better.

_It was supposed to get better after we broke up, but I think it’s just worse._

Remembering what Kenny had said, about how if they _had_ gotten together, he wouldn’t have been surprised, Tweek kicked a pebble and wandered down through the art fair, eyes on the ground. _Jesus why did we even do that in the first place. Kenny and Token were right, it was a terrible idea!_ Rubbing one of his arms jerkily with a hand, the Blond flicked his eyes upward and dodged around several people crying over the art at one girl’s stall.

Noticing him, a couple of the people physically backed out of his way, and stared down at him with such pity in their eyes that Tweek could have eaten it with a spoon. It didn’t even feel disingenuine, which almost made the boy’s skin crawl worse than if it had all been fake. Attempting to ignore them, not really wanting a stranger’s sympathy one way or another, Tweek hurried along, hands clenched in the hem of his shirt as he went.

“Hey, Tweek!” Turning too quickly, Tweek let out a screech as he almost face planted in the muddy ground, just barely managing to right himself at the last second. Flinging his gaze around in search of the voice, Tweek found Wendy waving him over. She’d been trying to talk to him ever since things had gone down with Craig, and to be honest, it was as annoying as it was nerve wracking.

Unlike when Bebe had befriended him, Tweek was not acclimating well to the girl’s attention. Still, when she beckoned him over, he went, stumbling slightly as he went.

Currently, Wendy was sitting next to one of the Asian girls, her high chair making her tower over Tweek by a good bit. Feeling rather dwarfed, the boy twitched and asked, “W-what do you want?” Fidgeting with his fingers, the Blond found his eyes wandering to the art around them. Most of it was exactly what he’d come to expect. Pictures of him sad, of Craig angry, or uncaring, and sometimes even images of the Noirette with the fictitious Michael, who mysteriously looked like the Goth kid half of the time.

“I just wanted to talk,” Wendy informed him, patting the one stool still unoccupied. It wasn’t as tall as Wendy’s chair or the one the Asian girl was currently curled up in, but Tweek took it anyway. With a small grunt, the boy clambered up onto the seat and stared at Wendy, partly suspicious and partly apprehensive.

“Ngh- w-what do you want to talk about?” Tweek asked, his eyes drifting to his knees almost instantly.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Wendy insisted, finally picking up on how uncomfortable he was. “I just wanted to, you know, ask how you were doing.” Long black hair blowing around her face as a breeze gusted through the fair, the girl continued, “I mean, after everything that happened… I don’t want you to be left alone, you know?”

“I’m f-fine,” Tweek lied, the words mumbled out from between teeth that kept clacking together. _You guys should be worrying about Craig, anyway. Not me. I’m not worth it, after what I did I don’t deserve all of this._ But how he was supposed to word that aloud was beyond him.

“You don’t have to pretend you know,” Wendy told him, reaching out a delicate hand for Tweek before pulling it back when he flinched. “I’ve been through breakups before, and they’re never pretty, though…” Expression souring, the girl muttered, “Stan never cheated on me.”

 _God, why did I start that whole thing? It was a mistake, I just wanted to make it believable, and I got carried away._ His mental excuses didn’t do anyone any good, though, and he slumped on his stool a little further, the weight of his own mistakes crushing him. “Ngh- I w-wish I hadn’t done that,” Tweek admitted, twitching as he picked at the edges of the stool.

“No, Tweek, you don’t have to- to...” Wendy stopped herself and let out a little sigh. Glancing up, somewhat morosely, Tweek watched as the raven-haired girl looked for something to say. In her silence, the Asian girl who was still drawing slid a print of something in Tweek’s direction.

Reaching forward, almost falling off of his stool as his short arms failed him, the Blond managed to snag the print and stared at it, his green eyes flickering over the image as his heart trembled in his chest. It was a picture of Craig, but unlike so many of the images he’d seen at the fair, this Craig looked about as miserable as Tweek felt. In the picture, Craig was staring at a small picture of Tweek, and clenching his other hand over his heart, like it hurt.

Rubbing at his own chest, trying to soothe the ache that rose up there, Tweek glanced up at Wendy and softly mumbled, “I think I made a mistake.”

Instantly, Wendy was lurching forward, one hand catching Tweek’s arm and the other clenching around the arm of her chair. “Don’t you dare start to blame yourself, Tweek. I’ve been there, it never helps, alright. Sometimes it really is best to just let a relationship end.” Taken aback by how serious she was, Tweek almost dropped the artwork in his hand as he leaned away from the girl. “I’m sorry, but I’m serious, Tweek. I don’t want you to make any rash decisions because-”

“I- I don’t think he cheated on m-me,” Tweek blurted out, unsure what else he was supposed to do or say to get her to back off. Those words, apparently, were the right answer, because Wendy straightened, her eyebrows flying up and her mouth opening slightly in surprise.

“What do you mean?” she questioned, her shock giving way to suspicion. “I heard what you said to him the other day. You were pretty clear, Michael and he were-”

Scrambling to remember his own story, Tweek hurried to say, “But -rrr- I think I misunderstood his texts!” Eyes fixed on the picture he still held clenched in his hand, the Blond continued, “I know w-what I said, but looking back on it, he- Craig was just _talking_ to Michael and m-maybe they were just hanging out-” No, that wasn’t good enough. Frustrated with his own inability to admit he had been wrong to say what he had, Tweek spat out, “No, they _w-were_ just hanging out.”

“Are you sure you’re not saying this just because you want to make excuses for him?” Wendy pressed, though she looked like she wanted to believe what Tweek was saying. _Good, you should believe me because Craig is innocent and it’s my fault that everyone hates him. I accused him of being heartless and now people think he’s a monster! I can’t believe I did that, he’s the one who doesn’t want to be a monster, yet that’s what I made him out to be!!_

“Christ- This is all my f-fault!” Tweek moaned, burying a hand in his hair and curling in on himself. “W-why did I say all those things to him, I r-really hurt him!”

Placing a hand on Tweek’s back, no doubt in an attempt at being comforting, Wendy caught the picture in the Blond’s fingers before it could fall all while saying, “Tweek, if he didn’t communicate what was going on well enough, then it’s understandable that you started getting upset.”

“No, it’s -ngh- not,” Tweek insisted, his eyes flickering to Wendy’s face. “Jesus, I haven’t even talked to him about it, I’m s-such a coward, and I’m so scared he- Oh god, w-what if he hates me!” Shaking his head, the Blond stared over at the picture that was now sitting on one of the tables the Asian girl had set out. _I should be talking to him right now, but instead I’m here…_

“Do you… Do you wish you hadn’t broken up with him?” Wendy asked slowly, tentatively, almost like she didn’t know what answer she wanted Tweek to give. _Not break up with him… I was never with him._

Glancing up at Wendy, Tweek let his fingers slip fro his hair as he asked, “W-what do you mean?”

Shifting in her chair, the girl awkwardly said, “Well, um… You- You know that Stan and I don’t exactly- er…” Brushing some of the hair out of her face absently, Wendy pulled an uncomfortable face before regretfully saying, “Ah, we don’t have the best relationship. As I’m sure you already knew, because everyone knows…” She trailed off again, and it was clear the subject brought her discomfort.

Still, she seemed set on pressing on. “If I’m being honest, the two of us have… Taken breaks. And broken up.” Pulling a face, Wendy continued, “But I still really like him, so I usually, well, _always_ get back together with him.” Even as the words left her lips, her expression grew puzzled and lost, like even she didn’t understand her own reasoning.

 _But you and Stan_ don’t _like each other,_ Tweek thought, pressing his lips together as the girl told the story. _Because you two are always fighting and you always are happier when you aren’t together. Everyone also knows that. God, who does she think she’s fooling?? Herself?? Craig and I are nothing like that, we actually_ do _get along, and even though everything is all fucked up right now, I still really care about him and I want to be his friend. It’s nothing like the two of you!_

Completely oblivious to Tweek’s inner dialogue, Wendy finished, “So what I’m trying to say is even if you did have a fight with him, and you definitely did, there’s always room to _apologize,_ on both sides, and… Maybe try again. It’s never easy, but it can be worth it.”

 _Worth it? Craig is always worth it. No matter what._ Heck, even though they hadn’t been together, being apart was misery, and breaking up had genuinely hurt, even though it had been fake.

 _Maybe we should be together._ It didn’t have to be anything more than friends, but maybe if they were dating, then people would finally leave them alone. _And maybe if we were dating, we’d both be happy._

Feeling very much like he’d had a revelation, Tweek suddenly burst, “I want to get b-backtogetherwithhim!” When Wendy gave him a weird look, the Blond slowed himself down and repeated, “I- I really miss Craig, and I know that it was my fault that we broke up. S-so I really want- Want to try again.”

The idea of dating Craig was a little terrifying, but… Well, they didn’t have to act like Clyde and Bebe, did they? It could just be pretend or something, but if it gave them an excuse to just be friends, then maybe it was worth a shot.

Suddenly, he was slipping down off of his stool, grabbing the picture of Craig as he went. Watching him go, Wendy called, “Wait, Tweek, what are you doing?”

“I have to -ghn- Go talk to Craig!!” he squeaked, filled with a true purpose for what felt like the first time in days. _I might have screwed up, but this time,_ I’m _the one who’s got a plan to fix things._ And maybe it wouldn’t fail as spectacularly as the last one had.

“Don’t you think you should think through this first??” Wendy called, even as Tweek scrambled around the tables, careful not to knock into them and send any of the paintings and prints crashing to the ground. Stumbling backward to avoid some of the people watching this display, Tweek tossed his head up to see Wendy watching him with no small amount of apprehension in her eyes. “What if you’re going back into a bad situation. I know what you said, but I’m still _worried.”_

“Y-you don’t have to be worried,” Tweek said, almost like he was realizing it for himself. “Because Craig c-cares about me, and even though I h-hurt him, he hasn’t tried to hurt me back. Because he _cares.”_

Before Wendy could come up with any other reasons for him not to go, Tweek bolted away skidding down the puddle strewn path as he raced to get out of the fair.

People parted for him as he went, everyone murmuring at the sight of the previously downcast Blond running like someone had set his pants on fire. Tweek didn’t care. They could wonder, he had something much more important to do. Someone that he _needed_ to talk to.

He didn’t want to leave Craig alone for a moment longer.

As he raced down the streets of South Park, his mind so entirely focused that he almost forgot to watch for cars or pay attention to pedestrians, Tweek wondered what he’d say. Except he sort of already knew that. He’d ask Craig if he wanted to date, or at least pretend they were dating so they could be friends. And probably he needed to apologize to the Noirette several times over for everything he’d put his friend through.

_What if Craig doesn’t even want to talk? Jesus, what if he hates me and now he’ll never speak to me again and I’ll be alone because now Wendy knows that Craig isn’t a cheater so everyone is going to blame me for hurting him!! Oh god, I don’t think I could handle that!! What if-_

No.

Making his mind grind to a halt, even though it took a herculean effort to do so, Tweek pressed his palms to either side of his face and held them there. He wasn’t going to let himself freak out, he’d spent the past two days unable to do what he needed to do just because he was scared of Craig’s reaction. But he was _done_ with that. Because even if Craig hated him, or didn’t want to talk, or threw Tweek out the moment the Blond crossed the threshold, well… It was still Craig, and that made it worth the risk.

Remembering his promise, the one he’d told Kenny he was making to Craig, Tweek clenched his teeth. _Craig is always worth it._ No matter what, that would never change.

Before he knew it, the Blond was panting before Craig’s front door. In the window above him, Tweek could see Ruby staring out of the window, her nose pressed to the glass. For a moment, he just stared at the girl, and she just watched him right back. It had been a while since he’d talked to Ruby, and it was weird that of all the Tuckers, she was the one he saw first.

He wished that he could ask her if Craig was there, but the window was closed, so clearly that wouldn’t have worked in the first place. Before he could think of another way to get her to tell him where Craig was, Ruby withdrew from the window and vanished inside of the house.

_Which means I have to knock._

_What if Craig answers?_ Then he’d talk to Craig right here. And if Ruby was going to tell her brother that the person who had ruined his life was here, then Tweek would deal with that too. It wasn’t easy, but none of this was going to be easy, so he figured he should get used to it now.

Even so, he gave a single shiver before reaching up and breathlessly knocking on the door.

A moment later it opened, revealing the glowering face of Thomas Tucker. Unwilling to let himself be cowed by the intimidating person towering above him, Tweek steeled himself and thinly said, “Hi.” _Alright Tweek, you can do this. You’re only mostly a coward, and if Craig is here then you can do it! He’d be able to do this if this was him and not me._

Clearing his throat softly, the Blond asked, “Is Craig here, sir?”

“Why can’t you quit him?” Craig’s dad asked darkly, almost causing Tweek to leap back in surprise. Just barely though, he stood his ground. _As if that’s going to make me leave._ The door beginning to close in his face did cause the Blond to jump slightly however, and he would have let out a squeak had not Craig’s mother interjected.

“Thomas,” she said, in a warning tone. From the look they exchanged, Tweek knew that his presence here was unwanted, by both of them, but it seemed like Laura Tucker was more willing to let her son’s friend in the house than Thomas ever would be.

Huffing, Thomas stood to the side, letting Tweek into the house. “Five minutes,” he muttered, his brows still furrowed. Gesturing to his side, down into the kitchen and to the back door, the man continued, “He’s in the back.”

Nervously, Tweek walked past the two of them, treading the familiar path to Craig’s backyard without looking at his parents. They loomed over him, both with frowns on their faces, but he didn’t back down. _Craig, I have to get to Craig._

Almost too soon, and yet somehow not soon enough, Tweek was sliding the back door open and stepping onto the threshold. He was right there, just like Thomas Tucker had said. The dark haired boy was hunkered over his bike, the same one he’d been working on all through summer, even though in Tweek’s mind there was only so much you could do to one bicycle. Still, there he was with grease on his hands and his hat jammed over hair that peaked out from around the edges.

There was Craig, and for a moment, Tweek forgot what he’d come here to do.

For once, he wasn’t twitching. It was like some god had finally smiled on him and granted him a reprieve that would only last as long as he was in Craig’s presence.

 _He always was the one who could calm me down._ What Tweek wouldn’t have given to just sit under the stars with Craig and feel the boy’s fingers in his hair once more. _Maybe someday, but right now, I have something I have to say._

“Hey dude,” he called, shuffling forward a step.

Craig paused in what he was doing, and Tweek could _see_ the way the boy’s shoulders hunched forward. “What do you want?” Everything about the boy’s monotone was darker, frustrated and angry. Even so, Tweek pressed forward. Of course Craig was angry, he had every right to be, but that didn’t mean Tweek was going anywhere.

Stepping fully outside and sliding the door closed behind him, Tweek stood on the small deck for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck and stating, in a surprisingly steady voice, “I thought when we broke up… Everything would get better.” Craig turned his head slightly at that, and Tweek could see the boy’s furrowed eyebrow from around the flaps of his chullo. Hurrying ahead, the Blond continued, as his eyes drifted around the yard. “I was thinking maybe…” _Alright, moment of truth._ There was no way to sugar coat this, not that Tweek wanted to in the first place.

It was up to Craig whether he liked the idea or not.

“We should say we’re back together.”

Instantly, Craig spun around. Screwdriver still in hand, the Noirette put a hand over his chest and snapped, “Dude, I’m not gay!” Advancing on the Blond, he continued, in a loud voice, “And neither are you!!” There were angry lines on the boy’s face, but Tweek _knew_ Craig, better than he knew himself sometimes, and beyond that anger was clear, genuine hurt.

_I should have talked to him sooner._

Fighting back against Craig’s misunderstanding of his words, Tweek threw his hands out and exclaimed right back, “What does _that_ have to do with anything?” Staring at Craig, the Blond willed his friend to understand what he was trying to say. _Come on Craig, don’t you get it, that label doesn’t have to mean anything. We can finally just be friends again. That’s all I want._

Though Tweek couldn’t read what the Noirette was thinking, he could see the hurt in Craig’s eyes, the disbelief that Tweek would come here at all and ask things like this of him.

Jabbing his finger in Tweek’s direction, Craig raised his voice yet further and yelled, “You think you can just _pull that shit_ you pulled at school!?” Gesturing wildly with his hands, the Noirette heatedly reminded Tweek of the Blond’s own words by continuing with, “Saying I step on people and use them?! And I’ll just take you back?”

_Take me back… That means he’s-_

_No, don’t get ahead of yourself, he could mean anything._

Fighting the desire to clench his fists, Tweek instead turned open, supplicating palms up to Craig as he protested, “You said to make it seem real!” It was a weak defense and he knew it. _I was supposed to apologize to him, what is this?_

Hands clenching into tight fists, the Noirette exclaimed, “Not that real!” Walking away from Tweek, still talking, Craig continued, bitterly, “Now everyone thinks I’m a manipulative cheater!” Mouth already opening to speak, Tweek stopped when Craig added, “I’ll never get any chicks!”

Ignoring the weird lump that rose in his throat at that last comment, Tweek swallowed before glancing at the ground and summoning his courage. Taking a step forward, the Blond softly said, “I’m so sorry Craig.” Putting a hand over his heart as he continued to walk closer, the boy slowly continued in a small voice, “You- You made me believe in myself in a way I never have before.”

Stopping there, standing before Craig even though the boy wasn’t facing him, Tweek explained, “I didn’t think I had any of that in me, but… you were right. I _can_ do more than I think.” Walking forward once more, Tweek pressed both hands against his chest as he insisted, “You… _Changed_ something in me, and I just…” As he got close enough to Craig that he could have reached out and touched the boy, Tweek lifted his palms skyward once again and finished, “I wanna fix whatever’s hurting you now.”

There was a moment where Craig froze, then slowly, the starch when out of the boy’s spine. Slouching, obviously struggling with what Tweek had said, the Noirette let his head fall to the side slightly, and his eyes fixed on the ground, even though his brain was clearly elsewhere. Watching him silently, Tweek waited, knowing that an answer was coming.

 _Even if I don’t like it,_ he thought fleetingly, the idea crushing something inside him. _I’ll accept it anyway._

In a somber, yet still monotone voice, Craig sighed and regretfully said, “I can’t be something because everyone wants me to be. I have to be myself.” He sounded almost broken as he took a breath and finished, “You’ll just have to go be gay with someone else.”

There were a million things Tweek could have said. He could have argued, he could have fought, hell, he could have screamed. But for once…? He didn’t. He just stood there for a moment, then nodded. Eyes falling as his spirits sank, Tweek quietly responded, “Alright Craig. Alright.”

When Craig didn’t respond, Tweek drew on what little strength he had left before turning away from his friend, eyes fixed on the ground and insides dying softly in his chest. He’d tried, and Craig had said no.

Maybe it was better this way, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a warning, I don't think I'll be getting to answer comments tonight. I have a dentists appointment early early in the morning and while I am actively trying to forget it's happening, I also need to be awake for it.
> 
> So this is me signing out for the night. I swear I'll answer them tomorrow.
> 
> In other news, this chapter was depressing, I am sad, Tweek is sad, my chapter title was deceiving, and uhhhhh.... Yeah, I got nothing.
> 
> See y'all tomorrow~


	30. When The World Goes To Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Craig_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, sorry for this chapter being so late. I had a wild day and I just got back from seeing Captain Marvel. It was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be. 
> 
> But, as you know, my heart is with this story and y'all. So here I am, writing a chapter. 
> 
> Sleep? Don't know her.
> 
> ALSO, I just want to use this moment to give a big shoutout to Hagspice who helped me plan this chapter out. The, erm, _stinkier_ parts were her idea ;) Thank you darling, you're like, the best human ever~
> 
> Enjoy.

_ I can’t be something because everyone wants me to be. _

_ I have to be myself. _

_ You’ll just have to be gay with someone else. _

With a growl, Craig slammed his wrench against the metal of his bike and watched as it bounced off harmlessly. There wasn’t enough power behind his blows to actually cause any damage to the metal, but he  _ wished _ there had been, because it would have let him see the emotions flying around his chest. Allowed them to become a tangible thing that he could touch.

Running his own words over in his mind again, along with the response Tweek had given him, a defeated  _ alright _ that kept reverberating in his bones, Craig hung his head.  _ Why did I let him leave? _

Why hadn’t he been honest?

Well, how could he have been honest? Getting up so he could pace along the length of his backyard, Craig clenched his fingers around the wrench still in his hand.  _ I don’t even know what I’m thinking, it’s all such a mess. _ At this point though, the world wasn’t the mess he was dealing with. All the confusion was in his own brain.

And boy oh boy was that a fucking disaster.

Running his free hand over his face, Craig let out a slow, measured breath in an attempt to slow his heart down.  _ Gay, be  _ gay _ with Tweek. Date Tweek and be gay, even though neither of us are gay. _ Admittedly, it didn’t have to do with being gay anymore, Tweek had made that clear. This was different, but for the life of him, Craig couldn’t see how.

_ Besides, he hurt me! _ Hefting the wrench, the Noirette stared at it as he gave it a bounce. As the rusting metal gleamed dully in the faint sunlight peeking through the clouds, Craig clenched his teeth together.  _ He apologized, didn’t he?  _ And that was supposed to make everything all better?

Well… maybe?

_God, I’m so fucking done with this bullshit._ Viciously, the Noirette reeled back and launched the wrench at the fence. Wood splintering where the metal struck it, Craig watched as the tool was lost to the weeds and the fence shook under his assault. “If this was all over,” he panted under his breath. “I’d be sooo happy.”

“Yo, Craig?”

Spinning quickly, sick and tired of people showing up in his yard without giving him any warning, Craig snapped, “Alright assholes, I’ve fucking had it with- Oh.”

“Oh,” Clyde agreed, waving a slightly awkward hand. “Uh, if I’d known you were gonna greet me with that, I would have knocked first.”

Shoving a hand under his chullo, knocking it off of his head, Craig raked his fingers through his hair and struggled to contain his already pressurized emotions before flatly saying, “Sorry, I’m stressed.”

“I can see that,” Clyde mused, looking the Noirette up and down. Eyes traveling to the bike behind Craig, the Brunet raised an eyebrow and said, “Erm, if you’re busy, I can totally-”

“No, it’s  _ fine,” _ Craig stressed, holding out a hand.  _ I’m sick of people avoiding me. _ Before, he might have pushed Clyde away, not really wanting to deal with human company, but at this particular moment, there was a crushing loneliness eating away at him. If Clyde, his oldest friend, was here, then maybe that feeling would go away for a little while. “What do you want, dude?”

“Nothing in particular,” Clyde hummed, before taking a slight step forward and raising a finger. “Well, actually, if I’m aloud to ask anything, I wanted to know if-”

Without any input from his higher brain functions, Craig’s mood darkened. Before Clyde could finish, the boy snapped, “If this has anything to do with Tweek, I-”

“Not everything has to do with Tweek,” Clyde said, chuckling under his breath. “Not that I don’t adore Teacup, but… I’m not here about him. Or  _ any _ of that stuff that happened at school on Wednesday, actually.”

“So why are you here…” Craig trailed off, slightly uncertain. Maybe the last couple of weeks had been particularly hard on him, but it had begun to feel like everything in his existence revolved around Tweek and being miserable and trapped within some confining idea of what he could and couldn’t be. Was it a little excessive to say he’d forgotten what it was like for his friends to just be  _ friends? _

Well… no.

Thankfully, Clyde still understood Craig as well as he always had. Pulling something out of his pocket, the boy gave Craig a slight smirk before flicking on what appeared to be a cheap, yellow bic lighter. “God Craig, you sound so suspicious,” Clyde joked, grinning as the tiny flame flickered above it’s plastic container. “If you  _ must _ know why I’m here-”

Puffing out a breath, Craig crossed his arms and lifted a brow, a slightly bemused light taking up residence in his eyes. “The point, Clyde. What is the point?”

“You are still the least fun person around,” Clyde complained, letting the flame go out on the lighter. “Fine, I’m here because the farmer down at the edge of town is in Denver for the week.” Pulling a second lighter out of his pocket, this one bright green, the Brunet tossed the plastic device over to Craig, who caught it deftly before it hit the ground.

“And…” Craig prompted, looking over the lighter, which to be fair seemed to be an entirely ordinary piece of Bic branded plastic.

“And I was wondering if you wanted to go light the cow shit on fire,” Clyde stated, entirely straight faced.

Glancing up at his friend, eyebrows hiking up towards his hairline, Craig tilted his head slightly to the side. Letting out a soft snigger, the corners of Clyde’s mouth twitched upwards. Sucking in his cheeks, Craig gave his friend a  _ look. _ Finally, the Brunet gave in and his face split into a wide, shiteating grin.

“You have got to be the  _ dumbest _ motherfucker alive,” Craig announced, slipping the green lighter into his pocket. Dipping down to grab his hat, the Noirette pointed a finger at Clyde and added, “If Farmer Jenkins is still there, I’m going to be setting your  _ ass _ on fire.”

“It was only good when Terrance and Philip did it,” Clyde reminded the Noirette, to which Craig congenially flipped the boy off. “There’s the Craig we all love! Man, I was starting to think those Asian girls had yaoied the asshole right out of you.” his friend crooned, elbowing Craig in the sides as he passed by Clyde. Turning quickly, Craig caught Clyde’s head in the crook of his arm and tightened his grip until the Brunet held up a hand in surrender. “Alright alright! I concede!”

The moment Craig had released him however, Clyde raised a finger and said, “I should have said, ‘the asshole right  _ off _ of you’. Excuse my lapse in-” With an eyeroll, Craig pounced on his friend, tackling the boy to the ground. “Okay I’m done!”

“I’m pretty sure the asshole is the thing they’re paying attention to,” the Noirette muttered under his breath, snorting. When the Brunet all but cackled, Craig rolled his eyes once more, but grudgingly joined in. Getting off of Clyde, Craig slid his hands into his pockets and evenly said, “I was promised flaming cow shit. Are we going or not?”

Eyes lighting up with a different sort of smile, Clyde tilted his head up and grinned. “Say no more. To the lands of milk and turds we go.”

Even though there were a million things weighing him down, Craig found himself smiling slightly at his friend. Because for once, he didn’t have to think.

As with most of Clyde’s dumber promises, this one turned out to be true. Because oh boy was there cow shit, and  _ lots _ of it.

Watching in amusement as the Brunet danced under the slats of the fence, ignoring the gate that was not but ten meters away from them, Craig followed his friend’s lead and slipped through the fence. Once they were on the other side of it, Clyde waved his hands proudly. “Behold, the promised land.” Glancing down at the ground, Craig kicked at a piece of dried cow poop with a boyish grin he tried to hide behind his usual serious mask. It didn’t work, especially when Clyde let out a hoot and announced, “Oh _ man _ this one is a doozy!”

“Clyde, no one says doozy anymore,” Craig informed the Brunet, watching as he hunkered down and pulled out his lighter from his jacket. Getting closer to the pile of wet shit, Craig chuckled as Clyde gagged and waved a hand in front of his nose, a joyous smile still on his face.

“Damn, that shit is  _ rank,” _ Clyde exclaimed, laughing like it was the best thing in the world. “Come on, let’s see if we can get this puppy to light.” Flicking on the lighter, the boy all but stuck the business end into the business of the cow who’d chosen this particular place to take a dump. The flame and heat only made the stink worse, and this time it was Craig who wretched and rubbed at his eyes as Clyde chortled at his expense.

“It’s not lighting dude,” Craig bemusedly pointed out, sitting back on his haunches and watching as Clyde leaned in close to the poop in an attempt to get a better angle on his flame. “Come on, let’s find something more dry.”

“Damn, I was sure that would work,” Clyde admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and puffing out a laugh. “They kept talking about gasses coming from cows and I figured that meant their poop was flammable.”

“I’m pretty sure that if you’d’ve asked Token,” Craig began, only for Clyde to put a finger to the Noirette’s lips, thankfully not the one that had been trying to light the shit on fire.

“Shhh, do not speak his name on this hallowed ground,” Clyde said, shaking his head. “It’s part of the bro code, Craig. He’s not here, so he can never know.”

“You’re going to tell Bebe about it,” Craig pointed out.

Sheepishly, Clyde scrapped a shoe over the ground. “So, you see-”

“You already told her,” Craig finished, unimpressed but still snorting with laughter. “Of course you did. So much for the bro code.”

“C’mon, what was I supposed to tell her?” Clyde whined. “Besides, she said she wanted to talk to you later.” Almost instantly moving on from this, the Brunet bounced up and exclaimed, “Now are we going to find something to light on fire or not!? I’ve got a lighter and it’s just itching to get some proper use.”

Ambling after Clyde, Craig watched as the boy lept from pile to pile of shit, looking for some that was properly dry. The cows wandering around the enclosure watched them with their big, slightly dumb eyes, and Craig’s only response was to shrug at them, as if to say,  _ he’s my friend, but what can you do. _

Glancing around the dirt and grass for himself, Craig spotted a rather dry looking dookie and whistled for Clyde to come over. “I found some over here,” the Noirette called, already down on the ground and pulling out his lighter. With a couple of clicks, he was already managing a steady enough flame that he made the undigested grass sticking out of the shit to smolder slightly.

“Aw sick!” Clyde exclaimed as Craig finally managed to get a flame to catch on the pile of poop. As the smell rose up to greet them, the two boys gagged and grinned at each other excitedly. Even though there was a weight in the back of Craig’s mind through it all, he almost managed to forget it completely as Clyde darted over to his own pile of dry shit and tried to light it on fire as well.

Watching their new fires smolder and flicker, Clyde pulled an interesting expression before firmly saying, “That’s not good enough. We have to find the  _ perfect _ shit and get that to light. Otherwise, there’s no point to it at all.”

“Oh no, without flaming shit, what will the world come to?” Craig mocked in a monotone voice. When Clyde let out a cry of protest, the Noirette cracked a grin and twitched an eyebrow up. “Well, this shit isn’t going to find itself dude.”

For the next few minutes, all they did was look around for more shit. Most piles of poop lit about as well as the first two, but they were dedicated. Wandering into a different pen, this one closer to the road, they continued their search, only breaking so Clyde could answer a text from Bebe. Watching the way his friend’s face lit up with the girl sent him a message, Craig found himself pulling at the hem of his chullo.

_ Imagine, something like that, but with Tweek. _ No, he couldn’t really picture it. The idea was so far out of his ordinary.

Right…?

Finally, the two of them managed to stumble upon something that made Clyde let out a shout. “Holy cheezeballs Batman,” the boy exclaimed, circling his find with an amazed look on his face. “Craig, get over here, you have to see this!”

Jogging over to his friend, Craig stared down at the turd Clyde had discovered with an impressed look on his face. “Wow, it’s… Green.”

“Dude, I knew I noticed something weird about the cows in this pen,” Clyde exclaimed excitedly. “I think they’re from last year. Remember that Alien goo? Craig, this is  _ totally _ from those cows.”

Swiftly bending down, the Brunet produced his lighter from his pocket. The moment the flame touched the cow patty, the whole thing caught fire, like there was lighter fluid covering it. Grinning from ear to ear, Clyde grabbed a stick that was sitting close to them and poked at the flaming mass. “Damnnnn,” he muttered, his tone betraying his appreciation for the sight. “This stuff is  _ actually _ the best.”

Getting to his feet, Clyde nodded proudly. “Maybe I should look into that Alien stuff again.” Shaking his head fondly, the boy added, “And here I thought I’d put my Nazi days behind me.”

_ Oh really? _ Spotting another glowing pile of poo, Craig stooped down, physically picked up the turd, and lit it on fire. The moment it was properly flaming, the Noirette lobbed it in Clyde’s direction.

“Oh ShIT!” Ducking out of the way, Clyde gave Craig a startled look. “C-Craiigg,” he whined, his mouth still hanging open. “Why did you do that??”

“You know,” Craig said, hardly caring about the cow shit now on his hand. “Just to make sure it actually worked.” Sucking in his cheeks, the Noirette fought a grin as he added, “Aannnd, I thought it would be funny if you ended up covered in Nazi cow shit.”

“Oh you fucker,” Clyde said in a hushed voice. Then he leaped into action. 

Following this was several minutes of the two of them scrambling to find as much glowing poop as they could so they could light it and then throw it at each other. With every flaming turd that went flying, the two of them hooted with laughter, finding it hilarious when the Nazi cows sharing their enclosure yelled in german at them.

“Careful Clyde, you wouldn’t want to fall,” Craig joked as his friend almost face-planted into the shit strewn ground. Almost instantly a wet ball of shit flew at his head, and Craig had to dart to the side to avoid it. Chuckling as it managed to hit the side of a car that was passing beside the cow enclosure, the Noirette cheekily said, “You missed.”

“As if you’re doing much better,” Clyde jibed right back, baring his teeth in a wild grin that was sent in Craig’s direction. “Come on Tucker, how are you ever going to get good at baseball if you can’t even throw a sh- OH JESUS!” Laughing, the Brunet crouched quickly as a piece of shit flew over his head. 

“You were saying?” Craig asked, tossing a dry, unlit glowing turd into the air casually before catching it.

“Oh god, what are the two of you doing?”

As one, the two of them turned to find Bebe picking her way carefully through the war zone of cow patties, her eyes fixed on the two of them. Despite her entrance line, there was humor sparkling in the pretty girl’s eyes. Pulling a flat, slightly dumb expression, Craig shrugged  and pointed at Clyde. “He started it.”

“I- EXCUSE ME YOUNG MAN!” Clyde yelled in protest. “I will have you know that  _ I _ did not start this shit flinging, I was just planning on ending it.”

“Well, you didn’t do that very well either,” Craig poked back, teeth catching on his bottom lip as his eyebrows wiggled in Clyde’s direction.

“Please don’t tell me you were throwing poop at each other,” Bebe began, pulling a long face. When neither of them denied her claim, the girl gave a large, long eyeroll and muttered, “Oh boy. I leave you alone for  _ one day-” _

“I told you we were going to light cow poop on fire,” Clyde pointed out, his sheepish expression returning.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to-” Stopping herself, Bebe corrected, “Actually, that’s a lie. I know you too well.”

“Hehe,” Clyde chuckled, rubbing some of the glowing shit off of his hand and onto the grass.

Remembering what Clyde had said earlier, Craig clasped his hands in front of him so he wouldn’t accidentally wipe his hands on his clothes before saying, in a deadpan, “Clyde said you wanted to talk to me?”

Rotating to face the Noirette, Bebe’s face brightened, as though she was only just now remembering. “Oh, yeah! I did.” She was about to turn back to Clyde, when the two of them realized he’d already wandered off towards the Nazi cows, who were all shouting at him in German.

“Excuse the shit everywhere,” Craig muttered, the hint of a joke in his voice.

“Well, if I hadn’t expected it, I wouldn’t be here.” Stepping closer to the Noirette, Bebe’s eyes dimmed a little, and a note of sympathy crawled into her voice as she asked, “How are you doing? You know, after everything that’s-”

Craig visibly deflated, and the blonde girl cut herself off so she could wave her hands, “I know you’ve probably gotten that question a thousand times, but I got a text from Wendy saying- Er… Anyway, I just wanted to know how you were.”

“I mean, as good as I can be,” Craig admitted, examining the half digested grass that was sticking to the back of one of his hands. “It’s been… a lot.”

“It has,” Bebe agreed, her perfect brows dipping slightly. As the two of them watched Clyde yell at the cows, something about the third reich, only for the cows to hotly reply in fierce German, Bebe pursed her lips together, like she was thinking something over. After a moment more of silence, the girl exhaled shortly.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” she began.

“Thanks,” Craig muttered, snorting.

“Craig, don’t be a dick,” Bebe chided, before drawing in another breath. “Look, I talked to Wendy, and she _ mighttt _ have told me that Tweek was over at your house today.”

“Oh,” Craig responded shortly, uncomfortably shifting at the mention of the boy.

“Do you mind talking about what happened?” she asked, her tone soft, gentle as ever.

Eyes on the ground, Craig let out a breath. “I… He wanted to get together.”

This time, it was Bebe who answered with a simple “Oh.”

Going to cross his arms, only to remember the cow shit still covering his hands, Craig absently looked around for a puddle or something to wash them off in as he continued, “He apologized for everything that happened, said he wanted to  _ fix _ things, but…” Craig trailed off as he wandered over towards a large puddle. As he stooped down next to it, the Noirette finished, “I don’t think  _ fixing _ things is an option? If that makes sense.”

“It does,” Bebe reassured him.

As he watched the toxic sludge drift off of his fingers, Craig muttered, “He seemed to think that we could _ date _ even though neither of us are gay.” Neglecting to mention how tempting Tweek had made the whole thing sound, the promise of it somehow getting better hidden in those words, Craig huffed and shook a stubborn chunk of shit off of his pinky finger. “I dunno why he’d think I’d ever say yes to dating. I’m not-”

Unexpectedly, Bebe interrupted him. “Would you date him?”

Turning and giving her a puzzled look, Craig slowly said, “But I’m not-”

“If being gay wasn’t an issue here,” Bebe pressed, her expression serious. “Would you date him?”

Remembering how Tweek had put it,  _ what does being gay have to do with anything, _ Craig was still. “I don’t think he meant date as in actually dating.” Attempting to get the poop off of the green lighter as well, Craig flatly continued, “I think he meant it as a… weird thing.”

“Well, what if you two were dating kind of like we did,” Bebe suggested, shrugging as if the idea was merely an interesting one.

“Is that really dating?” Craig asked, raising one of his eyebrows. “Does that even count?”

“Absolutely,” Bebe said, giving a firm nod. “Dating can be different for different people. And Tweek’s right, the two of you don’t have to- To  _ label _ anything you don’t want to.”

“Well, what if I don’t want to label us as together,” Craig protested, though it was more a hypothetical than how he was really feeling. If he was being honest with himself, the more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea seemed.  _ Just… being with Tweek, without people questioning how we act, or saying we have to do things a certain way. Because we’d be  _ together _ and everyone would be satisfied with that. _

“Hey babe!” Clyde called from across the pen, waving at the two of them as he climbed onto one of the Nazi cows. “Watch this!! Isn’t this crazy?!”

“Yeah, that’s really cool Clyde, I’m impressed,” Bebe called back dutifully, before turning her attention back to Craig, who just stared into the middle distance, his attention elsewhere.

A moment later, Clyde toppled off of his cow, only to call, “I’m okay!!”

“Careful,” Bebe called anyway, her eyes still on Craig.

After a moment of relative silence, the girl slowly began, “Do you remember… When that stupid stick game was ending last year?” When Craig’s eyes drew back into focus so he could properly look at Bebe, the girl continued, “I dunno if you recall, but… Do you remember what I asked you, right after you broke up with me?”

Furrowing his brows, Craig stared at the ground. When he didn’t speak, Bebe mused, “I asked if in the future, you would be willing to date Tweek.” As the memory filtered back into the Noirette’s head, the blonde girl said, “Before all of this Yaoi stuff, before everyone became obsessed with you and Tweek. Before there were expectations on how to act or what to do, do you remember what you said to me?”

It was amazing how easily the answer leapt to his lips.

“I said yes.”

Letting those words hang in the air between them, Bebe finally nodded. “You did.” Lips pulling up into a smile, the girl said, somewhat jokingly, “Contrary to popular belief, we’re just ten, Craig. If you don’t want to put a label on what you and Tweek are and aren’t, that’s alright. You don’t have to. Tweek right, being gay has nothing to do with it, really. It’s about doing what makes  _ you _ happy.”

Blinking as if awakening from a dream, Craig softly said, “Tweek makes me happy.”

“Then date him,” Bebe said simply. “Worry about what that means later.”

As the statement sank in, Craig rose to his feet, shaking his hands free of water as he did.  _ I feel like that’s what everyone’s been telling me this whole time, _ the Noirette thought, giving the green lighter one last glance before sticking it in his pocket.  _ I’ve just been too scared to really listen. _

The sky wouldn’t fall, and the world wouldn’t end. If Craig Tucker decided to do what made him happy, things would keep being normal, they just wouldn’t have to feel so miserable all the time.

“I think… I’m going to find Tweek tomorrow,” Craig said, his eyes clearer than they’d been in ages.

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” Getting to her feet, Bebe dusted herself off, even though there wasn’t a speck of dirt on her, before announcing, “Now, I need to make sure Clyde doesn’t get himself hurt talking to Nazi’s.”

Snorting, Craig said, “You do that.” He didn’t bother watching her walk off, because he was already headed in the opposite direction, purpose in every step.

Sometimes, the answers were hard to find, and other times, they were right there the whole time. Craig, for one, liked the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to have to get my tooth pulled. I know that's probably tmi, but if I miss a few days of uploads in the coming weeks, you'll know why. I'm pretty stressed out about the whole thing, adulting is hard and scary, especially when it comes to doctors and dentists, but I suppose this is life, and I can't exactly do anything about it.
> 
> Speaking of scary things, I dunno if I have any readers in New Zealand, but if I do, my thoughts and prayers are with you. The world is a shitty place, the rest of us are just trying to do our best to make it better. I hope that y'all are alright out there on the other side of this globe.


	31. All For The Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tweek_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating yesterday!! I didn't mean to leave you waiting for this chapter, but here it is.
> 
> Ah, gosh, I'm mentally exhausted. I'm trying to put together a coherent author's note and honestly, I've got nothing.
> 
> So instead, thank you to HagSpice for helping me figure out this chapter! I needed the help.
> 
> Enjoy.

Church was one of those things that everyone in South Park went to.

Whether you were strictly religious, found it to be a nice thought, or did it for appearances, everyone but Kyle’s family seemed to find a reason to show up at Church on Sunday. The whole town but a select few people all gathered together under the same roof, filled out every pew, and sat there to listen to Father Maxi talk about God for an hour or so, and they didn’t even  _ pretend _ to like it. Most people yawned their way through it, even the adults shifted in their seats boredly, but they still showed up.

It was like a weird  _ thing _ that everyone had agreed to do, and no one wanted to be the first one to crack.

At least, that’s what Tweek thought of the whole thing. His parents went too, every Sunday without fail, even though the Blond  _ knew _ they didn’t believe a word of it. Tweek did, oddly enough. The world was a crazy place, and if half of the stuff that happened in South Park was true, then God probably did exist, because who else would have enough time on their hands to come up with these things.

Besides, they had the son of Satan currently going to their school, so if he could exist, then the man upstairs probably did as well.

Still, it all felt like a sham.

Which probably had something to do with whyTweek had skipped out early and curled up on one of the benches outside. That and he hadn’t wanted to deal with the people.

_ You usually do fine with the people, don’t lie to yourself, it’s one person in particular and you know it. _ Frustrated with the unneeded cruelty his own brain put him through, Tweek twitched and turned so he was facing the back of the bench instead of the road.

There were people still milling about outside of Church. It had finished a while ago now, but there were still South Park citizens talking to each other, chatting about mundane, meaningless things. Most people, however, had already left, off to deal with their other daily tasks, because in the end, no one cared it was  _ sunday. _ To them, it was just another day.

If he was being honest, Tweek thought about it the same way.

Wrapping his arms around his knees, the Blond watched the people outside the church from the corner of his eye. He could see Kenny and Karen standing near their parents, though it was clear that the youngest McCormick was bored and Kenny wasn’t fairing much better. Eyes drifting away from them, Tweek spotted Jimbo and Ned, the former talking animatedly to another store owner, one that the boy couldn’t put a name to.

It was an ordinary Sunday to these people. For Tweek, it wasn’t, not to put too fine a point on it. Because at the end of the day, it had been the feeling of Craig staring at him throughout the service that had driven the Blond from the church. The Noirette was supposedly upset at him, justifiably so, and yet here he was staring.

Needless to say, Tweek had fled. There was only so much his heart could take.

He’d been primed to run the moment church got out, that voice in the back of his head telling him how terrible it would be if Craig chose to find him and be angry, but something else had told him that maybe, if the Noirette was looking for him, things weren’t that bad after all. In the end, that had been the voice he’d listened to. Unfortunately, his hopes, however close to non-existent they’d been, had been dashed.

Craig had left, without ever even glancing in Tweek’s direction, even though the Blond had watched him leave with wide eyes.

To be honest, Craig had looked lost in thought, and more than a little bit dejected. Those emotions, however, didn’t check out, so Tweek had obsessed over them for long enough that his head had begun to hurt, though, that might have also had something to do with him smacking his head against the bench several times.

Now, he was just miserable. To be fair, this had become his default setting ever since Craig had rejected him, but it had only been a day, and Tweek was hoping with time, the sting would fade. One of the many voices in his head kept telling him that it  _ wouldn’t, _ that the Noirette was such an integral part of him that the pain would never go away. Another voice, one that sounded suspiciously like Craig himself, said that Tweek didn’t deserve to be miserable forever.

The Blond wasn’t quite buying that, but the thought was nice.

At least one of the voices in his head cared.

_ I failed, Jesus, I can’t believe I failed!  _ Well, that wasn’t entirely true, Tweek’s hopes hadn’t exactly been soaring, but… He’d thought that Craig still wanted to be friends. Instead, the Noirette had turned him away. Apparently, what Tweek had done was too great for even his best friend to forgive.

It was fine though, he didn’t  _ need _ Craig, right? Of course not, he’d been fine before the boy had ever showed up in his life, right? Well, no, not entirely, but Tweek clung to that idea as he sat there and wished that he hadn’t left his thermos with his parents.

He needed coffee, that or an escape from this mortal plane and while both were entirely possible, one of them sounded a lot less terrifying. 

“Hey Tweek.”

“GHA!” Almost leaping out of his skin in surprise, the Blond jolted from his thoughts with a start and almost tumbled off of the bench in his haste to face who was speaking to him. His shock only grew as he instantly recognized the twin, strawberry pigtails and the deadpan that betrayed nothing but a certain, practiced boredom.

“Why do you always scream at me?” Ruby asked, crossing her arms and squinting down at Tweek. “Is it something wrong with my face? You don’t scream at Craig like that.” At the mention of the Noirette, Tweek flinched and instinctively stared down at his feet. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to Ruby at that instant, not only because he wasn’t feeling particularly fit for company, but also because she was Craig’s younger sister.

The chance that Craig Tucker of all people had sent Ruby here to heckle or otherwise talk to Tweek was so slim as to be not there at all, but… The Blond was still shivering nervously, unsure what to do but examine the ground.

Amusingly enough, Ruby was ready for that.

“Hey, my eyes are up here idiot,” the girl informed him, snapping under Tweek’s nose. “There’s nothing interesting down there.” Yanking his head up, Tweek found Ruby leaning over him, completely ignoring his personal space so she could squint at him, as though trying to understand something based on his facial expression alone.

Apparently, whatever she was looking for she couldn’t find, because a moment later she scoffed and straightened. Before the girl could judge him further, Tweek steeled his nerves and piped up to ask, “W-what do you want?”

Blinking, almost like she was surprised Tweek had spoken at all, Ruby responded, “I wanted to find you, obviously.”

“Why?” Tweek asked, his voice a squeak. Rolling her eyes, Ruby climbed up onto the park bench next to the Blond. Instead of sitting down, the girl stood up, effectively leaving her towering over Tweek, who instantly worried she would fall.  _ Oh god, what if she gets hurt and Craig blames me and tries to kill me and I have to flee the country and change my fingerprints?? What if she falls on me and squishes me or what if she’s  _ trying _ to fall on me and kill me!? Jesus, that’s way too much pressure!! _

Pointing at him, Ruby interrupted Tweek’s thoughts efficiently by shortly saying, “What happened between you and my big brother?” Shivering slightly, Tweek stared up at her confused as to why Ruby was asking him of all people.

“I- I don’t-” At a loss for words, the boy twitched to the side and quickly asked, “W-why do you want to know?!”

“Uhhhh,” Ruby drew out the syllable like it was  _ obvious _ why she was asking, before slowly saying, “Because my brother is miserable right now, and was wandering around looking for you, and I was wondering  _ why _ he’s in such a bad mood.” Crossing her arms, the girl added, “Who else would be making him sad?”

“H-he’s looking for me?” Tweek asked, jerking upright and craning his neck to stare at Ruby, hope inadvertently creeping into his voice. He shouldn’t be acting like this, it was slightly pathetic, but how was he supposed to take information like that without reacting.  _ If Craig’s looking for me, does that mean he doesn’t hate me?? Craig isn’t the type of person to go out of his way to be mean to people so if he’s looking for me then he wants to talk. Maybe he still wants to be friends after all?? _

“He’s not looking that hard,” Ruby muttered, unimpressed with Tweek’s reaction. Those words were all it took to wilt the Blond’s spirits once more, and he curled up tightly, wishing that he hadn’t gotten his hopes up.  _ After all, they were destined to get dashed. _ Huffing in irritation, Ruby demanded, “Oi! Asshole, stop-” She paused, then retracted her statement. “Okay, that wasn’t fair, you aren’t an asshole. But you are being annoying.”

“What do you -rrr- want from me?” Tweek asked again, not particularly wanting to have this conversation in the first place. “What did I do?”

“That’s what I’m asking!” Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Finally getting tired of standing on the bench, the girl sat down on the back of the seat and kicked her legs out recklessly as she continued, “Ever since Wednesday, Craig’s been miserable, but after yesterday, he’s been even worse.” Slowly looking up at her, Tweek watched as the girl’s eyebrows knitted together. “I even got him a new guinea pig, but he’s still not happy.”

“He’s upset b-because of me, not just because of Stripe,” Tweek pointed out, even though that made him sound selfish.  _ I wish Craig was just upset over Stripe, that would have been easier.  _ No matter how he thought it, the Blond just felt worse, so he attempted to silence his brain, tired of feeling horrible because of his own thoughts.

“Well I know  _ that,” _ Ruby dismissed, waving a hand. “I want to know  _ why. _ Seriously, why did you even show up on Saturday. You were over for like, three or four minutes and then you left.” Sticking out her bottom lip, the red-head muttered, “And  _ Craig _ won’t tell me what happened, so I have no idea why he’s upset. Or looking for you.”

After a moment of silence, most of which Tweek spent wondering why the hell Craig would be looking for him at all, the Blond softly said, “I asked him out.”

“But he’s not gay,” Ruby pointed out, an eyebrow lifting in a way that was very reminiscent of her older brother. “Or so he says.”

“It’s not-” Halting, Tweek tugged on his hair before trying again. “I know what he says, but I miss him. And -rrr- I didn’t mean to make things so horrible for him, so I apologized…. And then I asked him out.” Shivering, Tweek muttered, “Christ, w-why did I do that?”

Pulling a thoughtful expression, Ruby admitted, “It’s not that bad an idea, actually.”

“Yes it  _ was,”  _ Tweek all but moaned, rocking back against the back of the bench restlessly. “Because c-clearly he wasn’t interested!”  _ He doesn’t want to be my friend anymore, because he  _ can’t _ be gay, and if we’re friends, then everyone will think he’s gay. _

“Look, Tweek-” Ruby pulled a face. “Things aren’t exactly easy for Craig, alright? He’s trying his best. And I know that’s pretty…” She wrestled for the right word for a moment before settling on, “Stressful. It’s stressful. Especially when you’re doing something like asking him out. I guess.”

“I dunno how he  _ c-could _ try with something like this,” Tweek pointed out, fidgeting with his hands in the absence of something else to do. Picking at his jeans, the Blond muttered, “It’s a y-yes or no question, r-right?? How do you  _ try _ with s-something like that?”

The words hung there in the air, then, “No.”

Tweek blinked rapidly at Ruby.

“No, it’s not an easy question,” the girl said stoutly. “It doesn’t have an easy answer. It’s not yes or no, not for Craig. He  _ can’t _ date you. It’s not a question of whether or not he wants to, it’s whether or not he  _ can. _ And he can’t.”

“Your dad?” Tweek asked. He didn’t entirely understand the situation, but he remembered what Craig had said that day he’d told the Blond he was capable of anything. “Is he -ghn- The reason?”

“It’s self-preservation,” Ruby defended, looking away and clenching her fingers around the top of the bench. Tweek wasn’t quite sure what that meant and he didn’t ask, but something told him that the girl was speaking very literally.  

Staring at his knees, the Blond wondered how bad things were for Craig. The boy knew the Noirette had monsters, terrible things that left him black and blue. To realize that Craig’s parents weren’t always there for him either scared the boy, because that meant his friend had no one who was really looking out for him.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” Ruby began, turning fully to face Tweek. “My brother probably didn’t want to turn you down.” Expression morphing into a frown, the girl admitted, “He might have  _ thought _ he had to, but Craig gets what he wants and what our parents want confused sometimes. So…” The girl let out a breath. “Don’t give up on him. He’s an asshole, but he’s my brother, and I don’t like it when he’s upset.”

“H-he isn’t an asshole,” Tweek argued, despite himself.

“You don’t live with him,” Ruby disagreed, lifting an eyebrow. “He’s an asshole plenty. You just don’t have to deal with it because you’re special. Or you  _ were _ special.”

Deflating slightly, Tweek twitched and finally slipped off of the bench. “Maybe,” he said, glancing at Ruby before letting his eyes drift away.

“Are you going home?” Ruby asked curiously, leaning forward on her perch so she could stare down at him.

“Yeah,” Tweek said, his eyebrows twitching as he pinched them together in confusion.

“Well, if you see Craig,” Ruby began, standing up on the park bench once more so she could look out over Tweek’s head and into the distance. “Maybe give him a chance. Or push him a bit until he gives you a chance. Whichever one comes first.”

Even though it all seemed unlikely, Tweek nodded jerkily in agreement, before walking back in the direction of home, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Thinking over what Ruby had said, the Blond all but ignored the people around him, those who stared at him and those who didn’t. The sun was finally shining for once, and it seemed like everyone was taking advantage of that fact. Tweek was almost glad for the brighter weather, but to be honest, he wouldn’t have cared if it was still raining.

Despite the sadness still clawing at his insides, Tweek found something about what Ruby had said comforting. The idea that there was still something about the situation he didn’t have to give up on, that helped Tweek not feel so lost and confused. He was still missing Craig horribly, but… Maybe there was a chance.

Maybe things could get better.

As he passed by the little shops of South Park, Tweek thought over the past couple of weeks, and found a strange peace with the situation welling up in his chest. Sure, everything that could have gone had gone wrong, but he was still here. And somewhere, Craig was still there. Even if the Noirette was scared of his parents, maybe someday things would get better.

_ He’s looking for me. _

Maybe things would get better sooner rather than later.

Because at the end of the day, Tweek still cared about Craig. The boy had been and always would be the person who gave Tweek the strength to do things he wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, and show him how to be happier, even though things never really stopped sucking. They’d been through thick and thin, fought each other and fought with each other for what they thought was right. Nothing, not even Nazis and Aliens and Kenny’s and Cartman’s scheming had broken them apart.

Hope might have seemed stupid after everything, but as Tweek glanced up and the sun glittered in his eyes and a shadow crossed into his path, the boy realized that hope was something he’d never be able to let go of.

As if he’d been summoned by the Blond’s thoughts, the taller boy stood slightly ahead of him, his back straight and his eyes fixed straight ahead. Pausing for a moment, Tweek watched as the boy’s hand slowly extended, open palmed. It took him a moment to understand what was being asked of him, but the moment he did, Tweek stepped forward.

Craig’s expression was determined, like he’d finally made up his mind. There was sadness still in the boy’s eyes, but Tweek knew that the Noirette wasn’t going anywhere, and he wasn’t about to run away from the shorter boy.  _ Don’t give up on him _ Ruby had said?

Reaching out, Tweek placed his hand in Craig’s, and felt his heart swell as the Noirette’s fingers clenched around his own.

Then, as one, the two of them began to walk down the street.

Around them, the people they passed stared and began to smile. There was a palpable lifting of the sadness that had hung around the town as the two of them passed the various shops. Craig didn’t seem to care about any of this, he was simply walking forward, one foot in front of the other. There were several conflicting emotions on his face that Tweek didn’t know how to decipher, but when the Blond finally caught the boy’s eyes, Craig blinked once, then he smiled softly.

As they turned down another street, finally getting off of Main Street, Tweek drew up the courage to speak. “W-what changed?” he asked, his voice small.

Craig was silent for a few moments, before he turned and took a breath. “I thought about things,” the boy began, slightly uncertain, like he didn’t know how Tweek was going to react. “And I- Tweek, I  _ missed _ you.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Tweek told Craig, stopping the boy as they reached the other side of the street. “I n-never meant to- To turn people against you like that. Jesus, I didn’t even know that would happen, b-but I made everyone hate you, and I -ngh- should have known better.”

“I shouldn’t have ever suggested it, to be honest,” Craig admitted, tugging at the hem of his chullo. “It was a dumb idea. We both could have handled it better.”

Both of them stared at each other for a long moment, before the Noirette finally spoke again. “I was looking for you.”

“Ruby t-told me,” Tweek said, shifting from foot to foot.

“Of course she would,” Craig muttered, snorting. Eyes wandering around, their dark blue catching in the sun and glittering, the Noirette seemed to steel his courage for something, and Tweek almost leaned forward, nervous yet wanting to know what was going on behind Craig’s clockwork brain.

“What did you w-want to find me for?” the Blond prompted at last, squeezing Craig’s hand, honing in on the weight and warmth of the boy’s digits without meaning to. “After yesterday, I though -ghn- I thought you w-wouldn’t want to see me at all!”

Craig took a deep breath, before lifting his eyes to meet Tweek’s.

“Go out with me.”

Without giving Tweek a chance to respond, the taller boy continued, “I thought about everything after you left, about how much I missed you when you were gone, and about how I just wanted to be friends with you.” Tugging on his hat a little harder, Craig said, “Whether we say we’re together or not didn’t really matter before, but I guess now, it’d be easier if we were together. Easier to just be friends. Because that’s all I want.”

Letting his hand fall back to his side, the Noirette softly said, “I never want to lose you Tweek. When you broke up with me in front of the school, I realized that. More than anything else, I want you around. I don’t care if people call us gay. If it means I have you, then… I guess it’s worth it.”

Heart swelling, Tweek dropped Craig’s hand before lunging forward and wrapping his arms around the stoic boy. As his friend stumbled back slightly in surprise, Tweek fiercely said, “Yes. Y-yes I do want to go out with you.”

There was a moment of silence, then Craig’s fingers landed in Tweek’s hair, and the taller boy chuckled softly. “Good.”

And in that moment, Tweek was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I have no idea where this story is going. I think I'm going to throw in like, one more chapter loosely tied to this episode, maybe two because fluff is pure and I crave it, but then I'll actually have to plot out where this shit is going oh no.
> 
> I hope ya'll enjoyed this episode and such. Gosh, this ending feels weirdish, but I like it. I hope you guys did too.
> 
> I'm gonna... pass out now...

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I'm so glad you made it through! That makes me super happy. The creation of Semantically Challenged and now Communicationally Challenged has helped me so much, and meeting every one of you has been nothing short of a blessing. As we keep traveling alongside these beautiful bois, I hope that you'll continue to follow along, whether you're new or have been here since the beginning. Either way, your presence is appreciated to no end!
> 
> Speaking of, I'd love to hear what you think! Through my struggles with depression and parental pressure, hearing from all of you has helped me keep my head above water. So complain, compliment, critique, or simply scream to me, chances are, I'll probably answer. I'm trying to get better about that!! *^*
> 
> I had something else to say, but I appear to have forgotten it... Oh well. 
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> Also here's the updated link to the [discord](https://discord.gg/eramcuT) maybe drop by sometime~!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Closet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741466) by [dankchicken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dankchicken/pseuds/dankchicken)




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